


A Piece of Cake

by Redgillan



Category: Marvel, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, But that will never happen, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, My First Fanfic, Porn With Plot, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Smut, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-04-30 23:45:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 70,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5184257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redgillan/pseuds/Redgillan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You and your best friend own a bakery shop. One day you go to a meeting where Odin ask you to take care of Thor’s wedding cake. You’re absolutely thrilled, except for one little thing: Loki. He’s a bit enigmatic but really entrancing.<br/>It will gradually be less suited for general audience ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing really. 1647 words. Feel free to tell me what you think I should change/improve/etc… Y/bff is your best friend’s name.

It was a rather busy day. A couple was looking at the cakes on display next to the window while the seats next to the counter were all taken by customers reader to talk about the kind of cakes they would want. You stood behind the counter waiting for customers when the phone rang.

“Welcome to ’A Piece of Cake. Y/n Y/l/N at your service.”

“Good morning, my name is Robert Duvall. I work for Odin & Sons, the famous company. Mr Odin would like to invite you to a meeting tomorrow morning.”

“Of course.” You tried to hide the excitement in your voice but everyone turned at you with puzzling eyes. “May I ask what this is about?”

“Personal matters. I am sorry but Mr Odin is extremely secretive. We will send you the details of the meeting using the email address attached to your website. I am looking forward to see you tomorrow.”

“So am I.” You took your most professional voice. When you hang up you did a little dance though you were not exactly sure if it was a victory one.

“Care to fill me in?” You heard Y/bff say as she approached you.

“Tomorrow, we have a meeting at Odin & Sons!” You said taking her hands forcing her into your little dance.

“Stop it, all the customers are looking at us.” She said with a frown but she danced around with you anyway. “Google them.”

“I don’t really know the company but they’re a huge deal apparently.” You said as you looked at the first articles that appeared on your screen. “Odin is the founder of the company. He’s married to Frigga and has two sons… Oh my!” The photos of Thor and Loki appeared as you read the article. Y/bff pushed you from the screen to take a look.

“Oh.my.God! Studs! Odin and Frigga have some great genes.” She stood really close from the screen, examining every inch of the picture.

“Move, I need to take a look at my e-mails.” She reluctantly let you use the computer. “5pm Saint George’s Road. Oh, we have to bring our cake books with us.”

“Duh! Why do you think we have to go?” She said while waving goodbye to some customers.

You rolled your eyes. “Who said you were coming?”

“I’m the one you pushed you in to opening your own shop!” She said faking a heartbreak. “I have to come with you. And you know if one of his good looking sons show up, I’d like to see that for myself.”

You laughed, turning all eyes on you for the second time. “Behave!”

You spend the rest of the day planning the meeting even if you had no idea what to expect. You reorganised the books and drew some sketches for new cakes. You were feeling really excited and once you got home, your excitement kept you up a good half of the nigh. The next morning you took your most professional and fanciest outfit: you tucked a purple shirt in a black pencil skirt. Considering the chilly November weather, you put on some black tights and short heels. The heels were high enough to make your legs much longer than they were, but short enough to let you walk elegantly without looking like Bambi trying to walk. You met with Y/bff at the entrance of the very luxurious building.

She whistled. “That’s some fancy shit.”

“Language.” You winked. “Ready?”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s do this.”

You both entered the building looking like the world belonged to you. At the front desk, they asked you to wait and a short man in a very nice suit arrived. You both shook his hand and he led you to the conference room where you would meet Odin and his team.

When you entered the conference room, you found three men standing next to the window. The short man closed the door behind you and Y/bff leaving you extremely exposed. Your confidence was suddenly falling to piece as the three men looked at you from head to toe.

“Please, sit!” The older man said while showing the chairs waiting next to the round table.

You had to walk all the way to the chairs in this gigantic room. You felt your legs shake a bit as you tried to keep your walk graceful. Finally you sat down on a chair, your Y/bff next to you. On your other side, a dark haired man took place. He was wearing a black suit with a dark green tie. His raven dark hair were pulled back from his face revealing a perfect jawline and strong check bones. His green eyes were looking at the blonde man in front of him. The blond was sitting next to Y/bff. He was wearing a red shirt with no jacket that revealed a very muscular body. The sleeves were high up to his elbows. His hair was tied in a bun and his beard was perfectly trimmed. Y/bff could not stop staring at him and you had to hit her in the arm.

The older man with a white beard put his elbows on the table. “I am not going to waste any time. Time is money and I am sure you understand that.” You both nodded at the same time making you look like those dogs you put on the back-seat of your car. “My son is getting married in a couple of months.” Almost immediately you looked at the black haired man who greeted you with a small smile while the blonde raised his hand.

“I’m the fiancé.” At his words you could swore you heard Y/bff whine.

“Yes Thor will be marring his long-time friend in February. We heard about your amazing work and would want to see some of your wedding cakes. I see you brought your books, I’ll take a look at it with my son. We will get back to you soon after. As I am extremely busy you will have to deal with Loki and Thor. Money is not an issue. Any questions?”

He spoke so fast you were still processing and you never worked with or rather in that case, for, someone that important. You were ready to do anything he asked, and if you could make connections that would be amazing.

“No. I don’t think so. We do have a lot of work around December and January and we have a small team. We won’t accept any changes after Christmas, I hope you understand.” You spoke with confidence.

“Fair enough.” He stood up, buttoned his jacket with one hand and offered you the other that you shook happily. “Ladies, have a nice day.” And without more he left, his blond son following him.

You were left alone with the dark haired man who was still sitting, his long fingers tapping on the table apparently daydreaming. You looked at Y/bff who was livid. She stood up slowly and whispered “I need a ciggie.” She stormed out of the room, leaving you and the man alone. You gathered your things quickly when he stood up and imitating his father, buttoned his jacket while offering his other hand. You had to put the books on the table to shake his hand.

“Loki.” He said with a smile.

“Y/n.” You introduced yourself. He helped you with the books and waited for you to put your coat on.

“My father is really looking forward to work with you.”  
“So are we. We are thrilled.” He led you to the lift and pushed the call button.

“As you should. An occasion like this one… it probably won’t happen again.”

You looked at him all confused, was this supposed to be nice?

“I hope not.” You said. “Oh, I’m supposed to bring these to Mr Odin’s assistant.” You said remembering he needed your books.

“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.” The lift’s door opened in front of you. “Have a nice day.”

“You too.” You stepped inside the lift and adjusted your purse on your shoulder trying to avoid his stare. The way he looked at you made you felt completely uncomfortable. He was hot, no doubt in that but there was something about him that screamed “danger”.

Once you were in front of the building, you found Y/bff who was smoking a cigarette still staring into nothing.

“Okay that was weird.” You said as you approached her.  
“Tell me about it.”  
“No I mean, the second son, the one with dark hair.” You explained. “He’s just… I don’t know. He-”

“He’s looking at us from the window.” You were about to turn around to see when she stopped you. “Don’t look!”

“What is he doing?” You asked remembering his stare from earlier, the one that make you feel completely naked.

“Just looking. Wait.” She went to throw the cigarette butt still looking at him discreetly. When she was back, she added. “He’s looking at you!”  
“He’s a bit weird.”  
“Just because a guy seems interested in you doesn’t mean he’s weird.” She said with a sigh.

“No but the way he looked at me, I felt so exposed, so vulnerable. As if he was undressing me with his eyes. But he was so condescending. Weird, I tell you!”

“I need a drink.” She said looking at her watch. “It’s only 6?! Gosh, I don’t care come with me.” “I’m not really-“

“BOOZE!” She screamed.

“Alright alright.” You complied.

There was a small pub near the company, you entered and ordered a beer. You sat down and talked again about your strange meeting. You remembered Odin’s words: ‘you will have to deal with Loki and Thor’. A part of you was glad to see the mysterious Loki again, but another part of you was absolutely terrified. And perhaps, you had good reasons to be.


	2. The letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1636 words Dudes in sports clothing ;) and that’s about it. As usual if you have any comments/suggestions I’ll be glad to hear them. Enjoy!

Your shop was crowded. New customers were queuing to have the chance to work with you. If Odin and his team were still silent four days after your meeting, it was obvious that people heard about you. Y/bff joined you behind the counter.

“Wow, that’s a lot of people!” She leaned forward to see how far the queue went. “Look at that! And just because we met Odin?!”

You gasped looking at the queue. “We’re going to be smothered by them!” You said with a laugh. “Okay time to motivate the troops.”

You left her alone in the shop and stepped into the kitchen where your five employees were struggling with their work.

“Guys, I know you’re all working really hard and I appreciate that. There’s more people coming. Hang on!” You took an apron and started your own work. The day went by in a flash and Y/bff ran into the kitchen with a white tea towel stained with strawberry crème, she waved it above her head.

“Enough guys! The shop is closed.”

You as well as the other five people in the kitchen started to scream in joy. You were feeling exhausted but also grateful to work with such an amazing team. “You all did an amazing job. You can go home now, I’ll clean.” Cleaning was the last thing you wanted to do but keeping your co-workers happy was a priority.

Everyone cheered and left. You and Y/bff stayed to clean.

“Great idea, don’t tell me we’ll have to clean the entire shop by ourselves every night!” She said as she put the flour away.

You left the cold room with a shiver. “You can go if you want to. I just felt like the team needed to be rewarded.” 

“Well, I do have a date tonight. I’ll help you clean the kitchen and I’ll go.”

“Great. Now, more scrubbing, less talking.” You said throwing a sponge at her.

In no time the kitchen was spotless. You moved to the front shop with your mop and your bucket and picked up the papers on the floor. Y/bff yelled goodbye and not long after you heard her knocking on the glass door of the shop. Startled you looked in her direction and smiled at her. It was around 8pm when you were left alone in the shop.  
You could see the shadows of some people running in the street as the cold November weather bit their faces and hands. Outside the light that came from your shop practically illuminated the entire road. 

You saw the shadow of a man walking in front of your shop. He seemed to wait in front of it, his shadow standing still for a minute. When he moved again you raised your head to see who it was. You were surprised to see Loki with his long black coat and a simple green scarf around his neck. You stood up a bit too fast and spilled the content of your bucket on the floor. The noise caught his attention, he raised a hand and continued his way leaving you in a pool of dirty water. Cursing you continued your cleaning, slightly embarrassed by the whole situation.

The next day, you arrived early and set the whole shop. At around 8am you saw a red Ferrari speeding in front of your shop disturbing the silence in the street. Gradually people invaded the street and your shop. The day was less busy than the previous one and after the usual rush at noon, the shop was almost empty. A bit before 2pm, you saw the red Ferrari again. This time it stopped in front of your shop, passer-by looked at it with interest as two men stepped out of the car. 

“Brother? Hurry, father is expecting us at two thirty for the meeting.” The blond man spoke to his brother who hurried behind him. They were both carrying gym bags and were wearing black t-shirts that hugged their biceps and abs. The blond man was incredibly sculpted but the brown haired man was still pretty well cut. With his messy hair hanging around his pale face and the tiny drops of sweat running down his forehead, he was truly gorgeous. The cherry on the cake was their running tights which were a bit too fitted and revealed their bulge as they walked towards your door. 

“Afternoon ladies!” Thor said to you and Y/bff as Loki closed the door behind them. 

“Good afternoon.” Loki greeted soon after.

“Um, hi.” You said trying your best to look at them in the eyes. Y/bff made a funny noise that sounded like a greeting.

“I apologise for our appearances, we went for a run during our lunch break. Nevertheless we needed to give you your books back.” He took your books from his sport’s bag and put them on the counter. You could see that there were annotations on them. 

“Did you find anything interesting?” You asked taking the books in your hands.

Loki was still standing behind him waiting like a bodyguard. He was looking at you.

“The photos were nice but do they taste good?” He asked zipping the bag.

A group of high school girls walked pass your shop. One of them gasped as she looked through the window and soon after the group was walking much slower, pointing and laughing, biting their lips at the sight. From where you stood the view was quite formidable and you could only imagine what they were looking at. 

“They taste fantastic.” You offered them a piece of cake from the sample plate.  
“I never eat cake.” Thor said.

“I do.” Loki stepped forward and took the little china plate, his eyes still on you.  
“How is it?” Thor said looking at his brother.

“Not bad.” He said sucking slowly on his thumb. You couldn’t help but look at him with round eyes as he closed his mouth around his thumb. You snapped out of your trance hopping you were not making a fool of yourself. He grinned. 

Thor slammed his hands on the counter. “He loves it!”

You looked at Y/bff who frowned her brows. When she saw you looking at her, she slightly shrugged.

“I will talk to my father and we will get back to you in a very short time.” He looked at the food in display. “We must get going. Farewell ladies.”

“Have a nice day.” Loki said with a last mischievous look at you.

When they were gone, a group of people already gathered in the street. Two women entered the shop soon after. 

“Ladies, was it Thor from Odin & Sons?” One of them asked looking around judging the boutique.

“Yes, they were here for business.” You said.

“Oh, how exciting!” She beamed. “Is that a lemon pie? I’ll take one for my grandchild.”

You and your shop were the main gossip of the day. Old ladies and high school girls entered your shop hopping to find some juicy gossips about the two brothers. You said nothing but sold a lot of pies. At the end of the day, you were cleaning with the team.

“Hey, I didn’t have the chance to ask you but, what the hell was that?” Y/bff asked.

“I think we just got a job.” You answered naively.

“No okay I got that but” She put the sponge down. “One of the guy doesn’t eat cake, and the other one isn’t exactly enthusiastic.” She took the sponge and tossed it aside. “Well except for making sexual innuendos.”

“Yeah, that was…” You couldn’t finish that sentence. It was hot, weird, and arrogant, you couldn’t just pick one.

“Loki.”

“I guess you’re right. That was Loki.” You continued, glad she found a word to finish your sentence.

“No, look.” She pointed at the door behind you. You turned around and saw a cleaned up Loki with a briefcase in one hand entering the shop. He rang the little bell on the counter. Y/bff jumped on you and took away the crumbs in your hair and cleaning the flour off your blouse.

“What are you doing?” You grumbled at bit startled.

“Go get him!” She whispered.

“What? No! I’ll probably turned up dead in a ditch.”

“Stop the drama.”

“We’re closed” you heard one of your employees say to him.  
You rushed to the front shop.

“Then you should lock the door.” He replied dryly.

“It’s okay Ingrid. I’ll take care of it.” You turned to Loki. “What can I do for you?” He watched Ingrid leave the room and handed a letter to you.

“You will follow the instructions and bring the cake Friday afternoon in the meeting room. Odin will decide if you’re suited for the job.” 

You took the letter, and read it. It was signed by Odin’s hand and demanded a black forest cake. The instruction were very specific. 

“Are we going to get paid for this?” You asked a bit annoyed by his condescending tone.

“Consider the new customers you’ve received all day as payment.”

“People are not money.” You were starting to wonder why he even made your heart race earlier.

“I’m just the messenger here, dear.” He seemed upset, as if no one ever dared to question him before.

“The son of Odin delivering a message? Doesn’t he have assistants?” 

His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms.

“Fair enough. Next time you’ll be dealing with the delivery boy.” He turned on his heel and closed the door forgetting his manners. 

“Scratch that” You heard a voice coming from the kitchen as you stood in the middle of the front shop. “You will probably end up dead in a ditch.”

You couldn’t help but smile, he wanted to bring the letter himself. Perhaps, he wasn’t just playing with you.


	3. The argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2229 words. Angst. So sorry, it took me a while to correct it. Hope you’ll like it. And as usual if you have any comments/suggestions I’ll be glad to hear them.  
> Y/N: your name, Y/L/N: your last name, Y/bff: your best friend

You were finishing the black forest cake demanded by Odin when Ingrid, your co-worker, brought the bakery box. You struggled as you placed it carefully inside the box. The tension in the room was palpable, all your co-workers looked at you and winced every time the cake approached to close to the edge. Finally after a few minutes and what felt like a marathon, you were closing the box with extreme caution. Moving slowly you carried your box to the car.

“Ready?” Y/bff said.

“Yep, all good.” You said while adjusting the square box on your lap.

She started the engine and drove all the way to Odin’s company with a carefulness you didn’t know she had. The company was not far away from your shop but it was safer to bring it this way rather than trying to avoid a sea of people.

When you entered the hall, after many perilous events, you kept the box in your hands as Y/bff went to sign the register book. You were left alone in the gigantic hall, you looked around to see how bright and luxurious everything was when you hear a voice.

“Ah, the cake woman!”

You turned around and saw Thor wearing a white shirt and dark blue trousers. As usual his working style was less posh than his father and brother. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his tie was missing. You smiled at him.

“Cake woman, uh.” You pouted. 

“Sorry, Y/n.” He said with a bright smile as he scratched his head. “I hear that expression a lot these days. My brother doesn’t seem to remember your name. ” He laughed. “Or at least that’s what he pretends.” He added with a wink. You blushed slightly but turned away from him. Loki was a real complex and peculiar guy. “Need help with that?” He pointed at the bakery box.

“I’m waiting for Y/bff, we have a meeting with your father.”

“I know, I have access. Just follow me.” 

“Wait, I need to tell-“ You turned to grab the attention of Y/bff but she was gone. You looked around, she was not in the hall. You decided to follow Thor, she would show up eventually. “Nevermind.” You walked with him to the lift where he pulled his security card. He asked to carry the cake for you but you refused, too nervous that he would drop it on the floor. 

“Funny, they should be here by now.” He opened the meeting room when someone came to ask him something. “Tell her I’m on my way.” He said to the assistant before he turned back to face you. “I’m sorry, I have to take care of something important. I’ll be back soon, make yourself at home.” 

You stayed still for a while, not exactly sure what to do. The minutes seemed to pass and Thor was not coming back. Y/bff was still missing and so were Loki and Odin. You decided to go look for y/bff. You left the meeting room and passed in front one of the assistant. She was on the phone and gave you a greeting smile. Relieved that she let you pass, you turned right and followed the bright corridor. You were not sure where to go and started to be afraid to get lost in the huge building. You finally arrived in front of a large wooden door. You understood quite quickly that it was Odin’s office. His assistant was not behind his desk and an angry voice came from behind the door.

“Tell me you did not!” The deep voice clearly belonged to Odin.

“I did as I was told.” The second voice was familiar. You thought it might have been the assistant when you recognized the condescending tone of Loki. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“Who told you to stop the negotiations? I never did.” 

“They were spying on us, father. I already wrote a report and you dismissed it entirely.”

“I had good reasons to. You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“You are always right, aren’t you?” You could hear the anger rising in Loki’s voice. “The Great Od-“

“Enough” He cut him. “Leave immediately and repair your mistake.” 

“I will do no such thing.” Loki said with a mocking laugh. It was followed by a strong noise, like a fist slammed on a table. You couldn’t tell who did it though.

“Loki.” Odin made the last syllable last longer to show his dissatisfaction. “You are not worthy of the life I gave you.” 

“What is that supposed to mean? God forbids, you gave me nothing. I work harder than anyone else in this building.” His voice was so loud you were afraid it might break the windows. As he talked, his voice got deeper, fuelled with rage and contempt. 

“After what I did for you -” Odin said in a high pitched voice

“What you did?!” Loki yelled. By this point the door was not even necessary, you felt like they were right next to you. You looked around, surprised that no one else heard them. “Whatever you did, you did it for yourself! To keep your precious company, to keep the illusion of a perfect family.” You found yourself mesmerized by their argument when Odin’s voice brought you back to reality.

“Don’t walk out of this office, young man!” You started to look around you in panic. There was no place to hide and you really shouldn’t stay around much longer. You turned on your heel when you heard the doorknob grate. 

“I do what I want!” Loki screamed as he slammed the door behind him. 

You were already down the corridor but it was so long you had to hide before he could see you. Without thinking, you entered the first office you saw praying silently to find it empty. You closed the door behind you as discreetly as you could before entering an office illuminated by a large window place behind a desk.

A dark purple sofa was placed on the left and the large wooden desk was standing in the middle of the room. On the right a metal cupboard was put next to a little bar cabinet, on which stood two glasses and half emptied bottles of alcohol. You could hear Loki’s footsteps behind the door and a horrid thought came to your mind: what if you just stepped inside Loki’s office. Seconds later, you knew you were right as the doorknob started to move frenetically. Without thinking you dived under the desk. He slammed the door behind him and sighed. He went to poor himself a drink and you tried to keep your breathing steady as your chest rose and fell fast. You felt your stomach drop as you heard him coming closer to the desk. In a desperate act to keep yourself silent, you put your hands over your mouth.

“Are you sitting comfortably?” You couldn’t believe your ears, and you couldn’t dare to move. “Need a pillow?” You remained silent, cursing yourself in your head. “Come on, I know your under my desk. I can see the marks on the carpet.” 

You looked at the floor in front of you and saw the lines that your body made on the carpet when you threw yourself under the desk. Carefully you stood up and adjusted your clothes looking very embarrassed. You raised your head slowly and your eyes met his. He was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed graciously while his elevated foot was balancing casually. His right arm was resting on the arm of the sofa, a glass filled with amber liquid in his hand. His left hand patted the empty seat next to him.

“I’m so sor-“ 

“Sit down with me.” He cut before you could apologise. You moved closer and sat down next to him. Not sure what you were supposed to do or say, you remained silent and looked at him. You thought your face was on fire. “Have you enjoyed the show?” 

“The…show?” You whispered.

“Yes, you heard me. Too bad, out of all the different offices in this hallway you had to open mine.” He said ironically. He put the glass to his lips and you watched his Adam’s apple move up and down as he drank the amber liquid.

“I didn’t know it was your office.” 

“My name is on the side of the door.” He said with a mocking laugh. “Don’t you know how to read?”

“I was a bit in a hurry.” You taped your hand nervously on your leg. You wanted to reply but you did not have the upper hand and he knew that. 

He choked on his whiskey. “You don’t say.” He put the glass on the coffee table. “Do you want something to drink?”

“It’s five in the afternoon.” You replied.

“Already?” He said with a smirk.

A moment of silent passed, he played with his cufflinks and you looked at him. You remembered his argument with his father. Without realising, you asked:

“What did your father mean by ‘what he did for you’?” Loki paused and raised his head disconcerted by your question as your curiosity took over. 

“You are extraordinary. You break into my office, hide under my desk and now you expect me to answer a question that clearly doesn’t concern you?”

“Why are you always so crabby?” He turned his face to look at you in the eyes, you could see the shock and anger on his face. “No seriously, you two were screaming at the top of your voices. I’m pretty sure everyone heard it.”

“And yet, you were the only one listening to us from behind the door.”

“It was not my intention.” You slammed your hands on the velvet sofa. “You really think you’re the centre of the world, don’t you?” 

“Watch your tongue.” He replied with a menacing stare. 

“Or what?” 

Without a warning, he grabbed your shoulders and pushed you on the sofa where you were forced to lay. You tried to kick him but his legs were pressed on yours making it harder for you to move. He was so close to you, your nose was practically touching his. He took a deep breath as he felt you wiggle under him. You would have been aroused, if it were not for his darkening eyes and the evil stare he gave you. There was no doubt he was extremely pleased with himself, he clutched you closer and leaned down your ear. He was about to talk when someone knocked on the door.

“Little bro’?” Thor said without entering. Loki grumbled and turned his face away from yours to look at the door. “You’re in there? The meeting with your cake girl is about to start. Hurry she’s waiting in the conference room.” Loki smirked as he turned back to you. 

“I have a last-minute emergency. Send her my regards.” He said taking a professional voice.

“Sure, will do.” You heard Thor whistle to himself as he left.

Loki licked his lips as he continued to look at you, after minute, he let you go. He stood and went for the door. You stood up very slowly, trying to smooth the wrinkles on your clothes. He opened the door and said with an intentionally loud voice:

“I’m quite happy about our meeting, we shall continue this in a short time.” 

A man turned his head when he heard Loki’s voice, he was walking in the long corridor. You were standing in front of the door slightly abashed. You turned around to look at Loki who had a sick smirk on his face before he closed the door. You stood still for a minute or two not sure what to do, you could hear him pant as he collapsed on his sofa. Afraid to hear more you walked back to the conference room where everyone looked at you. Odin seemed displeased, he was standing in front of the table eating a piece of the black forest cake you made. 

“Where the hell were you?” Y/bff whispered as she walked towards you. She was holding a kitchen knife covered with crème and chocolate shavings.

“Long story.” You answered quickly.

“Miss Y/L/N” Odin said. “So good of you to finally show up.”

“I apologise, I got lost.” You tried to keep a professional voice even if the only thing on your mind was your encounter with Loki.

Odin was about to reply when Thor grabbed his arm. “I told her to do as she pleased.” Odin looked at his son and closed his eyes, when he opened them again he was looking at you.

“Fine. Next Saturday, we will throw Thor’s engagement party. You will be in charge with the croquembouche and other pastries. I have already gave the instructions to your associate.” He set his plate on the table before he shook your hand. “Everything needs to be perfect, Miss. I will be strict about it. If you don’t think you can handle the pressure speak now.”

“Everything is fine, sir.” You said hiding the fear in your voice.

“Good. I’ll leave you to your cakes now.” He stormed out of the room, followed by Thor who apologised for his father behaviour with a small smile.

“Let’s get out of here.” You took your bag and left.


	4. The croquembouche

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: 2348 words. I don’t think there’s anything harmful here. Dark alley stuff maybe. Enjoy and tell me what you think :)

“He did what?!” Y/bff screamed as you entered the shop. Her eyes were wide opened and her face was contorted with anger. “Okay, that’s it! I’ll call them right away. There no way we’re working with them.”

“We signed a contract. And we could use the money.” You said knowing she would not let go.

“I don’t care about the money. This family is completely deranged.”

“Call down!” You were sitting on one of the chair usually used by customers. “I’m fine, he was just… provoking me.” She tuned to look at you, her hands resting on her hips. “Let’s just say that from now on, we will never leave each other alone with one of them. Deal?” You said as you held out your hand.

“Um-um.” She groused.

*  
Loki POV

Loki paced the room. He stopped in front of his desk, grumbled something to himself and smashed one of his trinkets again the wall. Almost immediately someone entered the room.

“Loki” A woman said in a soft voice.

“Don’t, mum!” Loki raised his hand to keep her quiet. She quickly closed the space between them and took his hand. 

“I heard you bickered with your father again. Honey, please stop pushing him.” She ran her thumb on his knuckles. Loki turned around and looked at her with confusion.

“What are you tal-“ He cut himself as he remembered the meeting with his father. “No mother. I don’t care about that.”

“You don’t?” She furrowed her brows not understanding what he meant. “Then what troubles you, dear?” 

“Nothing. Leave me.” Loki removed his hand from hers.

“You are always shutting yourself from the rest of the world.” She said with real concern as she crossed her arms. “If you continue this way, you will end your days alone. With no one to love and no one to love you.” He turned his back and remained silent. “Does it have anything to do with the woman who left your office earlier?” She sighed.

“How do you know?” He turned really fast to look at her.

“Robert, he saw her leaving your office. She makes wedding cakes, doesn’t she?” 

“Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant, now my father sends his assistant to spy on me?” He collapsed on his office chair and grabbed his head with both his hands.

“My sweet boy.” She said coming closer to him. “What did you do to that poor girl?” She ran a hand in his dark hair.

“I…“ He paused and grabbed her by her waist still sitting on his chair. “I think I scared her.” He said after a few seconds.

“Be a gentleman, apologise.” She kissed his forehead and gave him a scrolling stare. “Fast!”

Loki rested his elbows on his desk as he watched his mother leave his office. He was a proud man, he never apologised before. Was it worth it? Did he care about you enough to do that? 

*

Three days later, you were closing the shop. The front door was shut, you turned down the light and checked that everything in the kitchen was in place. You grabbed your coat and took the back door exit, next to the kitchen. It was already dark outside. You immediately noticed the cold rain and the puddles as a cold wind blew your hair away from your face. You were not paying much attention when a man stood in front of you. You almost fell down and the man caught you by your waist to keep you from hitting the floor.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Loki said removing his hands from you.

“Then why do you sneak up on people like that?” You said trying to catch your breath as you clutched the wall to keep yourself steady.

The alley was dark but you were sure you saw him smile.

“Are you alright?” He said offering a hand that you dismissed. 

“I’m fine. I need to go.” You left him there. You were not scared but you didn’t want to linger. When you turned at the corner of the street, you couldn’t feel the rain on you anymore. Loki caught up with you, holding an umbrella above your head.

“At least, take this.” You took the umbrella from his hand. 

“Thank you.” You looked at him with mixed feelings. Rain started to pour down his face. “You wanted to say something?” He looked down at his feet and laughed.

“I’m sorry.” He stopped smiling immediately. “About… the other day.” 

“I remember.” You said. He couldn’t look at you in the eyes. You noticed rain drops stuck on his eyelashes. He stayed silent for a while, rain continued to pour on his expensive suit. His dark hair was completely wet. “Can I go now?” You broke the silence as the cold air started to make you shiver. 

“I- Um, yes you can go.” He answered with a sad sigh. You tried to give him his umbrella back but he waved his hands, insisting that you kept it.

“Good night” you said as you turned around to leave.

*

A couple of days later, you were working in your shop. Your apron covered with chocolate and lemon curd. Your hair was a complete mess, the bun you tied when you entered the shop was now halfway to your neck and different length of hair came out of it hanging in front of your face. Your colleague called early to say she was sick, so you were left alone. Of course you tried to find someone to call the others but you were not surprised when none of your co-workers answered their mobile. The day was incredibly long, you had to take care of costumers and make sure the cakes were made on time. And, of course, you were late. You were cutting some fruits when the doorbell rang followed by an entrancing male voice greeting you. You yelled ‘In a minute!’ without turning back to face the voice. It was clear that you were busy so the man answered: ‘No rush’. You heard him lean against the counter searching through the cake folder. When you finished your task you turned to face him.

“Alright I’m yours! Oh!” You said.

Loki raised his head and gave you a small smile. “I’m here for the Odinson cake.” 

The Odinson cake, you completely forgot about it. 

“Fuck!” You yelled as your eyes widened looking around to find some sort of solution.

“Excuse me?” He closed the book and stood in front of you.

“Um, I… I…forgot, I’m so sorry I’m all alone here.” Moving your hands around you showed the empty store to Loki who remained impassive. “Tomorrow morning?” You said carefully with hope in your eyes. He nodded and left a cheque on the counter.

“Thank you, thank you!” You beamed as he turned around to leave. You moved from behind the counter to close behind him. It was an hour early but you really had to work on the cake and solely on it.

“Come directly at the office. Good night.” He said ringing the doorbell as he left.

You quickly closed the door, resting your head on the cold window in relief. You spend the entire night making the cake. In the end it was absolutely marvellous, the engagement cakes were ready for the night. When you heard the team arrive they were surprised to see you in the kitchen with a project that was due the night before.

“All alone…all day… Bring the mini cupcakes,” You yawned before adding: “I’ll bring the cake myself. I need a shower.” You said putting your apron on the table.

You headed back to your flat. After a quick shower, you put on some new clothes and tried but surely failed to cover your dark eyes. Back in the shop you took the cake and followed the team at the Odin & Sons Company. 

*

Odin was standing in the middle of the conference room. He did not say a word but his left foot was impatiently hitting the floor. After some time, Thor broke the silence.

“I’m sure he has a good reason to be late.”

“I truly hope so. My assistant saw him in the building an hour ago.”

Thor looked at his father, not sure what to answer. Loki was supposed to bring the cake for the engagement party twenty minutes ago. Odin was not a very patient man, and he had even less patience when it involved Loki. He was mumbling some words when the door opened. 

“Morning.” He stood a few steps in front of Odin. His dark green suit suited him perfectly as he put his hands in his trousers pockets waiting for a response. 

“Ah, there you are finally!” Odin spoke with a bit of annoyance in his voice. “And the cake?”

Loki’s smile faded and he took one of his hand out of his pocket to hit himself on the forehead. “Oh no, I was supposed to bring the cake today. I forgot.”

“You forgot? You forgot!” Odin raised his voice. “I gave you money for that cake last night, I told you three times ‘Loki don’t forget the cake’ and you said you were going to take it at the end of your day.”

“I know what I said, I was in front of you.” Loki mocked. “I had plans, I forgot I’m sorry.”

“You idiot-!”

“Father, the party will start at seven. We have plenty of time to-“ Thor started.

“When I ask something, I want it done, immediately!”

Odin continued his sermon for a while when you entered the room with the cake. You still looked agitated but no one paid attention. Everyone turned to you when you entered, Loki included. 

“Look” He pointed in your direction while addressing to his father. “At least you work with smart people, she brought the cake here when no one picked it up.” He gave you a tiny almost imperceptible wink.

“That girl just saved your job. If you ever pull something like that again you’re fired!” He tried to sound a bit more relax as people were now entering the room, concerned by the noise coming from the conference room. “Come child, what a beautiful cake you have here. Robert,” he looked at a man behind you, “take the team to the hotel. They can store the food there.” He turned to Thor: “Come we have a lot to do. You too, Loki.”

The man named Robert took the cake from your hands and led your team out of the room. They were soon followed by Odin and Thor. Thor patted his brother’s shoulder as he left and greeted you with his bright smile as you stood there not sure what to do.

Loki closed the few steps that separate him from you. “Thank you for saving my job” He said with a snort of amusement.

“You lied to him. It was my fault, I-“

“Shh! He was just waiting for an occasion to yell at me. Better me than you” He moved a bit on his feet as if being nice made him uncomfortable. “You make nice cakes.” 

“Thank you.” You said with a smile as you left the room. As you walked pass him, he turned to look at you. His stomach dropped: being nice didn’t change a thing. You were still avoiding him and it drove him crazy. 

Moments later, you arrived at the palace where the event took place, you adjusted your outfit that consisted in a black slim skirt and a too tight shirt. In the panic you mistook Ingrid’s shirt with yours and since she was still sick, you had to wear it all night long. The buttons looked like they were trying to escape. You stepped inside the kitchen and started to give orders to your employees. 

“Hey I heard you had a rough night.” Y/bff checked items on her list as the employees brought the food.

“Ah! Rough isn’t even remotely accurate.”

“You should go home and rest.”

“No I’m fine, I’ll rest later.” You said as you passed the double doors and walked around with the plates making your way towards the buffet. You tried to find Loki without explicitly looking for him. He was talking with a middle aged woman next to the kitchen and excused himself when he saw you enter the room. He tried to follow you but you made your way through the sea of people with an ease he did not possessed.  
The night went by in a flash, you worked really hard and there was a lot to do. People praised you for your work and were eager to work with you. The cleaning team was busy vacuuming the floor when you were looking for Loki. You thought he already left when someone reached your side.

“I have been looking for you all night.” To cover the noise of the vacuum, Loki whispered into your ear, sending shivers down your spine. 

“Me too.” He smiled at your words. “Um, I mean, why?” You replied quickly.

He stood a bit awkward in front of you. “Nothing in particular. I want to make sure you’re not scared of me.”

“I’m not scared of you.” You paused and sighed. “Look, I’m not a doll. I won’t break if you play with me.” You wondered why the room was so quiet when you realised you were the only one in the ball room.

“That’s a good thing to know.” He said with his mischievous signature smirk. Oddly enough, you missed it. You laughed. 

“For some reason,” He added more serious. “I really care about what you think of me.” You could feel your heart beat faster as he moved closer to you. He lifted your chin with one finger and leaned down. The world around you seemed to disappear as you prepared for the kiss. He was merely an inch from your face when a voice broke the silence of the room.

“Get away from her.” Y/bff stood in front of the kitchen door.


	5. The kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2138 words. Well well well, expect some lips to lips. A bit of angst between you and y/bff... And cliffhangers ;) As always, tell me what you guys think !

“Get away from her.” She repeated emphasising each words.

You felt a hand pushing you away from Loki and realised you were standing on your tiptoes. You staggered as she forced you away from him. He tried to take your hand but you were already too far.

“Let me go!” You tried to free your arm but her anger made her more powerful than you.

“See,” She turned around and held your arm in front of you. “You can’t even free yourself from me. “Do you really think you’ll be able to escape a man twice our size?”

“I think I can give him a second chance.”

“Wake up! You’re not in a fairy tale, Y/n. Some people are just evil.” You turned around to look at Loki but you were too far away from him. “Fine!” She let go of your arm. “Go, I’m sure he will have a great story to tell you. It was not his fault, everyone is against him. He’s just misunderstood. Y/n, I dated men like him, they always have a good excuse.”

“Can I decide it for myself?” You rested your hands on your hips. “I appreciate your advice, really I do.” You added after she snorted. “But I want to live my own life, even if I have to make a couple of mistakes.”

“Don’t come banging on my door if he tries to strangle you.” She spat before she left. You screamed her name but she was already gone. You ran your hands in your hair trying to find a solution to this problem but nothing came to your mind. You decided to go back in the ball room where you found Loki casually sitting on a chair playing with his mobile.

“Hey,” He said as you approached him. “I wasn’t sure you’d be back.” 

“I want to go home.” You managed to say trying to fight the tears in your eyes.

“Of course.” He took your hand and kissed it. “I’ll drive you home.”

You followed Loki to the parking lot where he parked his black Jaguar. You were too upset to make any comment so you just sat in silence. You gave him the direction to your place until he parked in front of your flat. You looked at the time, it was around four in the morning.

“Great, I have to be at work in three hours.” You said after a quick thinking.

“Can’t you take a day off?”

“Not really. There’s so much to do and I’ll probably be alone today again.”

“How so?” He asked with genuine interest.

“It’s a long story but I was supposed to work with Y/bff tomorrow. After what happened, I’m not sure she’ll come to work.” You yawned.

“When was the last time you slept?” 

“Um, a while ago.” You answered. The night before, you spend most of your time making cakes for the engagement party. You thanked him and left the car. Loki made sure you got inside the building before he drove away. 

You opened your door and immediately collapsed on your bed still dressed as a waitress. You woke up a bit before six, you brushed your teeth wondering how you would find the strength to greet customers with your appalling zombie face. But you were too tired to care. You took your bag and left. In the tube, people looked at you like you were the ugliest thing in the world. You sat there looking pale and famished. Your hair was starting to be greasy and you probably smelled like you could use a shower. 

When you arrived next to your shop, your mobile rang. You took it out and noticed an unseen text from Y/bff that said: “Can’t come to work today. I’m sick.” You were not surprised. You stepped into the kitchen and sat on one of the chair behind the kitchen worktop. You crossed your arms in front of you and rested your head. A knock on the door made you gasped from surprised, you stood up and went for the door.

“Good morning.” Loki stood in front of the back exit with coffee and a little brown bag in his hands.

“Hi.” 

“I thought you might need that.” He put a cup of coffee in your hands. “And something to eat.” He added holding the bag close to his face. It was a nice gesture but coming from Loki, it was a freaking miracle. The lack of sleep made you cry and you cursed yourself in your head. How can you show everyone that you’re strong and independent when you cry over a cup of coffee?

“Thank…you.” You managed to say after a while.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Yes, I’m good.”

“You’re going to scare the customers away.” Ah, there was the Loki you knew. Somehow it made you feel at home.

“Thanks.” You winced.

“Let me help you. Where do you keep the spare uniforms?” He looked around him.

“We don’ have spare uniforms. Why do you want one anyway?”

“I take care of the front shop and you do your cooking. How hard can it be?” 

Your puffy eyes opened wide. “Don’t you have other things to do?”

“Come on, give me something.”

“Loki, what are you doing?” You asked rubbing your eyes. You were exhausted and he was the last thing you wanted to deal with.

“I’m trying to be nice.” He said looking around the open lockers. 

“It’s weird.” You mumbled. 

“You’re never happy.” He rolled his eyes. “Ah, found one! Urgh!” He took the uniform out of a locker that belonged to a man named Stephen and smelled it. He held it in front of him with two fingers before he sighed. He threw the uniform on the floor with disgust and started to unbutton his jacket. You couldn’t take your eyes off his strong arms as he rolled his shoulders to get rid of his shirt. You looked at him without trying to be discreet, his firm bare chest moved slowly as he breathed. 

“Want some popcorn with that?” He grinned as he bent over to pick the damped t-shirt on the floor. 

“Sorry.” You shook your head, feeling the red on your checks.

In order to disguise himself, he wore a cap on his head and kept his glasses. The glasses made him look very sophisticated. After you explained the basic of your job he stood behind the counter in the front shop ready to greet customers. You tried to take care of the orders but he was calling you so often you had a hard time focusing on your job. At noon, he stepped into the kitchen eating a macaroon. 

“Well, that’s not an easy job.” He said after he finished his bite.

“Yeah, and you’re lucky there’s not a lot of people today.” You said as you ran in the kitchen.

“Well, it’s Sunday so-” He paused raising his head up. “I think something is burning.” He said after smelling the air. You ran to the oven, black smoke escaped as you opened it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” You threw the burnt cake in the sink and bent over to grab your knees.  
“I can’t. I keep messing things up, I can’t focus.” You took the potholders and slammed them on the table. “I’m closing the shop for today. There’s no point, the only thing I’m good at today, is throwing things in the bin.”

“I’ll drive you.” He reached behind his back to take the shirt off. He shivered as he threw it back in Stephen’s locker.

You closed the front door and cleaned quickly before you followed Loki to his car. The car ride rocked you to sleep. When he parked he was faced with a dilemma: letting you sleep in the car or waking you up which seemed absolutely devilish. He stepped out of the car and opened your door. Leaning towards you, he unfastened your seatbelt and took you by the waist. You mumbled something in your sleep but hanged on his shoulder. He looked for the keys in your pockets and carried you half asleep as he placed your arm around his neck. He looked at the mailboxes to find your floor and called the lift. When he opened your front door, he made sure you were hanging tightly at his neck and swung you up in his strong arms to carry you properly. You rested your head in his shoulder while he secured one hand behind your knees. He quickly found your room, since your flat was rather small, and lay you on the bed. He carefully covered you with a blanket.

He paced your flat, looking at the different pictures you framed when his phone rang.

“I’ve been calling you for hours. Where are you?” Thor said at the other end of the phone.

“At home. I don’t feel well.”

“Father is not going to be pleased about it.” He heard Thor sighed.

“So?” He replied with little interest. 

“Nevermind.” Loki heard the voice of his father in the background. “I have to go.” Thor said in a hurry. “Feel better soon.” 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Loki muffled after Thor cut the conversation. He sat on your sofa and closed his eyes.

Hours later you woke up, tossed the blanket aside and wondered how you ended up on your bed. You stepped in the living room, the street lights were on and illuminated your kitchen. You went to close the shutters and noticed it was past seven. You rubbed your eyes when you noticed Loki sleeping on your sofa. His feet were touching the ground but his body was leaning on the arm of the sofa. You walked closer to him and watched him. He was stunning, is jawline perfected an already well sculpted face. From where you stood you noticed the little freckles on his forehead and around his nose. 

“It’s not polite to stare at people, you know?” You gasped and hold the first thing next to you.

“And it’s not polite to stay somewhere uninvited.” You said trying to catch your breath.

His eyes flung open and he sat properly on your sofa. “A ‘thank you’ would work too. I carried you all the way from the car.” He said rubbing his red eyes. “What time is it?” He asked stretching his back.

“Past seven.” You answered still mesmerised by his body. 

You both agreed to find something to eat but your fridge was empty. Loki offered to order something from a local restaurant. He left to pick it up and you decided to take a well-deserved shower. When he came back you were drying your hair. During dinner, he asked you about the pictures displayed around your flat. You happily told him all about the people and the moment before the pictures were taken. He listen to you carefully, smiling from time to time but you could see the sadness in his eyes. 

“I will leave you now.” He said after dinner. “You need to rest.” 

“I’ve slept all afternoon. I’m not tired any more. Why don’t you stay for a while?” You offered. He was already wearing his coat. 

“It’s not a good idea.” 

He went for the door, then turned around. He seemed to be hesitating, he looked at you and let go of the doorknob. With a slow pace he came where you stood. He gently pushed a lock of hair away from your face and smiled. He cupped you face in his hands and leaned down to kiss you. You closed your eyes waiting for his lips. Loki delicately kissed your lips. You couldn’t believe it was finally happening. His pink lips were caressing yours slowly. You let out a soft moan and felt him smile into the kiss. He pressed your body against his and wrapped his arms around you. You gave him what he needed to go further. What started as a gentle peck soon turned into a passionate kiss. He ran his tongue across your lower lip begging to let him in. When you granted him full access, his tongue delved inside your mouth as you tangled your arms around his neck. Your tongues battle for dominance and increased the wetness of the kiss. Nothing else mattered, the room around you was spinning so fast. Your moans were encouraging him and you heard him groan as he clutched at your waist. Your legs were shaking and you felt the urge to breath. You reluctantly broke the kiss and rested your forehead against his.

“I could get used to this.” He panted.

“I don’t see the harm in that.”

He stepped back still holding your hand. He kissed it gently before he opened the door. He smiled pensively, “I do.” He said before he closed the door behind him.


	6. The ankle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2780 words. Reader gets hurt (by accident but still), mention of abusive relationship and I think that’s it. Enjoy and tell me what you think!

The next morning you were sipping your tea. Loki was still very much in your thoughts. Looking at the coffee table in front of your sofa, you wondered what to do. After the left, you found his mobile buried between the cushions. Part of you wanted to go to his office and give it back to him. But you were also afraid to see him after what happened. You enjoyed the kiss, in fact, you would have kissed him all night but his reaction was strange. You took his phone in your hands and noticed several missed calls and texts from Thor. “Where are you?” “Are you still sick?” “Father is asking for you.” If these messages told you one thing, it was that Loki missed another day of work. You pressed the phone on your chin wondering what to do. 

Meanwhile, Loki drove to your shop. You were not working but he didn’t know that. He parked and stepped inside the front shop where Stephen, your employee, was greeting customers. 

“Good morning sir. How can I help you?” He welcomed Loki with a happy smile.

“I’m looking for Y/n.” He said looking around him.

“She not working today.” Y/bff was leaning against the kitchen door frame. Her voice was serious and menacing. Another man stepped inside the shop and Stephen greeted him, leaving Loki with Y/bff. 

“You were here yesterday, won’t you?” Loki did not answer. “You don’t need to answer. I’ve seen the security footage.” She moved behind the counter. “I don’t know what you’re planning to do but I swear, if you touch her I will kill you.”

“You are a fierce one, I will give you that.” Loki hissed as he put both his hands on the counter and leaned. “But what sort of friend are you? You leave her alone, you let her do all the work and after she asked you to stop interfering in her private life, you bail on her?” He clicked his tongue behind his teeth and shook his head. The words were meant to hurt Y/bff and it was working very well. She opened her mouth and closed it immediately not knowing what to say. “What’s happening lass? Cat took your tongue?” He chuckled darkly and turned on his heel to leave.

Once he was in his car, he knew exactly what to do. The little fight with Y/bff gave him a boost of confidence. He decided to go to your place, the adrenaline still running through his body. He parked in front of your flat and yelled at a man to hold the front door. Once he arrived in front of your door, he hesitated. Now that he was actually there, it felt like a bad idea. The door opened and you crashed against his chest.

“Mfffht,” You mumbled crashing into Loki’s torso. You closed your eyes as everything went black. Two hands took you by your shoulders, you opened your eyes and saw a blurred Loki. “Hey!” You smiled.

“Good morning,” He looked nervous. “I think I forgot my phone last night.” 

“Yes, you did.” You said pulling his mobile from your purse. “I was going to leave it at your office.”

“Great minds think alike.” He rolled his eyes at the number of texts he received from Thor. “Are you going somewhere else?” He asked trying to sound unattached.

“Yeah, I was going to grab something to eat. Do you want to join me?” You asked with great hopes.

“If you know a place I won’t find my brother or father then yes.”

“I’m pretty sure we won’t see them.” You said thinking that you were from very different social environment.

When you arrived in the restaurant, the waiter told you that you had to wait about an hour until he could find a table. Loki tried to bargain with him but the waiter smiled politely and left. You told Loki that the best thing to do was to order and eat it somewhere else, to which he agreed. You left the restaurant and went back to the car. At some point you noticed he was not taking the way to your flat but instead, the car was driving among the classiest streets of London. After a while he parked and unfastened his seatbelt.

“So that’s your place?” You opened the car door and stepped outside. 

“It is.” He took the food wrapped in paper bags and handed the car keys to a man who came to welcome him.

“Good afternoon sir.” He said bending his head as he took the keys.

“Good afternoon, Carl. I’m not here for anyone, not even my family. Understood?”

“Very well sir.” The man nodded.

“Come on.” Loki said taking your arm. When you passed the hall to step inside the lift, two older ladies gave you a funny look. Loki did not pay attention but you immediately looked at your feet. Loki left the lift first and looked for his keys, you followed him quietly. He opened the door and invited you in.

“Woah,” You blinked when you passed the front door. You heard Loki shut the door and felt his hand on your back. His flat was spotless. Everything was incredibly neat and tasteful. The colours remained simple: from bright white to dark green. The room was filled with antique furniture and modern sculptures. A white leather square sofa was place near the front door on the right. On the left there was a bar cabinet and little bar chairs placed in semi-circle around it. The kitchen was at the other end of the room behind the spiral staircase.

“Close your mouth.” He laughed when he turned to see if you were following him. You closed you mouth quickly thinking you must have looked pretty silly.

“I’ve never been in a room like that.” You turned to enter the kitchen when you noticed a picture. In fact it was the only picture in the whole room. On it Odin was sitting with his two sons and a woman that, you assumed, must be his wife. “Is that your mother?” You asked pointing at the woman.

“Um?” He answered already setting the table. “Yes, Frigga.” He nodded when he looked at the picture. 

“She’s pretty.” You said sitting on a chair. You ran your hand on the table, it was white and shinning. “I adore you flat. It’s so… fancy.” You giggled. Loki leaned to put crystal wine glasses on the table. “Look at that!” You’re sudden high voice startled Loki. “Crystal glasses!” Your eyes were wide opened like a kid in a candy shop. He laughed before he sat next to you.

“These things.” He said taking the glass in his hand. “Came with the flat. A gift from my mother.”

“Your mother brought you a flat?” You said dumbfounded. 

“And everything it in it.” He poured wine into the glasses and delighted himself with the look on your face. 

“I…Woah.” You too a long sip from your glass. 

Everything was going on well, you drank and ate more than you should but you were happy to finally spend some time away from all the stress and cakes. While Loki cleared the table, you paced a bit his gigantic flat. 

“What’s upstairs?” You asked grabbing the rope of the stairs.

“Rooms and bathrooms.” Loki reached your side. “Come upstairs, I’ll make you a private tour of the house.” He took your hand and guided you upstairs. The second floor was as spectacular as the rest of the house. You gasped when you entered his room, a king size bed was displayed in the middle of a gigantic room. The dark grey satin sheet glowed under the soft lights and the fluffy green carpet looked like fresh grass. The guest room was as impressive, though it was more subtle in colours. 

“Watch your step.” He warned when you took the spiral staircase to go back in the living room. The stairs were really tricky, you were about to answer ‘No problem’ when you tripped over your own feet. You landed on Loki who caught you just in time before your head hit the rope. Almost immediately you felt a flash of pain irradiating through your ankle. “Oh, are you alright?” He asked noticing you couldn’t put your left foot on the floor.

“Oh gosh, that hurts!” You screamed clutching his arm tightly. He helped you move towards the sofa and kneeled in front of you. You sat all the way back and winced as he placed your left foot on his knee. With gentle care, he took you shoe. You held your hand out, afraid that he might touch you swollen ankle but he slapped you fingers.

“Don’t touch!” He examined your foot. 

“That’s what I was about to say.” You moved in your seat as the pain seized you. 

“I’m not a doctor, but I think we should go to the ER. It might be broken.” He let go of your foot and went to collect your things.

You tried to stand up but failed miserably, you tried a second time and managed to make it to the door hopping on one foot. You heard Loki scolding you but continue to hop anyway.

“Don’t do that!” He threw your things in your arms. “Never walk on a broken foot.” He offered his shoulder. You managed to get to the car without hurting yourself more, though you did receive some curious looks from the people in the hall. Once you arrived at the hospital, the nurse told you to wait. Loki looked at the waiting and let out an exasperated laugh. He followed the nurse leaving you in the corridor. You looked at your foot which had doubled in size. Loki came back with a triumphant smile a couple of minutes later, the nurse hurried behind him. 

“You’re next.” Her voice was shaking and her face was as livid as yours.

“What did you tell her?” You clutched the counter and winced as the pain increased. 

“Shh! It doesn’t matter.” He eluded. “You look very pale.” He rested you head on his chest and caressed your back. The pain was unbearable and your eyes started to water but you didn’t want to break in front of him. A man looked around the waiting room and asked for your name. Loki turned around and raised his hand. You followed the doctor in the examination room with the help of Loki. 

“That’s a nasty sprain.” The doctor said after he examined it. “You’re lucky though, it’s not broken. A nurse will come to wrap your ankle. Don’t walk, keep your foot elevated and put some ice on it. It will be fine.” He left without saying another word. 

“See,” You said looking at Loki. “It was not very necessary.” Loki shook his head and ran his thumb on your cheek. 

“I came as soon as they called m- Oh my God, what did you do to her?” Y/bff screamed as she looked at you with terror. Loki sighed noisily and turned his head away from her.

“Calm down. I fell down the stairs.” She tilted her head on the side and gasped. “Literally.” You said with a firm gaze.

“I will look for a nurse.” Loki left the room. Y/bff moved closer.

“You should worry about the nurse.” You said in a forced laugh after he left the room. You had no idea what he told the nurse but she was petrified. 

“I’m sorry.” You both said at the same time and laughed.

“I should let you do as you want. I-“ 

“Yes, you should.” You winked. “But I appreciate that you still care for me.” You pated her hand. “I know, he’s moody… to say the least but he really helped me.”

“I’ve seen the security footage. I’m sorry I left you alone after the party. I’ll admit it, he did better than me.” She paused trying to find her words. “I suppose, perhaps… If you trust him I can…” She paused again. 

“Do I have your blessing?” 

“Um, blessing is a bit strong. I can make an effort.”

“Great, that’s all I’m asking.” She leaned down to hug you before she playfully pushed you in the shoulder.

“Look who found a great way to stay at home for the week.” 

You both laughed when a nurse entered a room, her hands were shaking a bit. She smiled and took care of your sprained ankle. Loki leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. When the nurse was done, she told you you were good to go. 

“You should take her home.” Y/bff told Loki at his surprise. She passed in front of him to leave. “If you hurt her, I’ll will hurt you in ways that aren’t even invented yet.” She whispered with a menacing voice. She smiled, content with the look of fear on his face. He turned away as she left the room with a proud smile. 

With extreme caution he helped you get into the car. He parked in front of your flat and with his help, you manage to get inside your flat. All the hopping and jumping made you very tired and you collapsed on the sofa. You settled your leg on the top of the sofa to keep your foot elevated. With your permission, Loki went to pick up ice and pressed it on your ankle. You winced at the cold.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He said sitting on your sofa.

“You’re not hurting me, it’s just unpleasant.”

“No, I’m not talking about the ice.” He moved closer, took your other leg and placed it on his lap. You were feeling uneasy as you saw your legs spread in front of you. You wiggled trying to find a more suitable position but he kept you still. “I need to tell you something before we go further.” The word ‘further’ made you smile but his tone was so serious you kept your mouth shut. You managed to keep a more appropriate position by bending you right knee in front of you. 

“I’m listening.”

He exhaled with force as he gathered his strength. “I stole money from my father’s business.” He said without catching his breath. Your mouth opened slightly, he was analysing your reactions but he didn’t say enough for you to have a proper reaction. “A lot.” He added.

“How much?” 

“About forty millions.” You let out a small high pitch cry as you mouth opened wide. He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “I needed to create my own firm and leave them behind me. I wanted to mock him.” His eyes darkened and he clenched his fists. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to hurt him. I would-” He paused feeling his anger rise and breathed slowly, you could see him opening his fists. “Anyway. He found out and kept the whole thing under control. He could have thrown me to jail and I think he wanted to. But, when a scandal involving one of you son threatened to jeopardise the work of a lifetime, you tend to take care of that yourself. I will be his slave until he’s done playing with me. Or dies.” He added grimly. 

“Um, Loki?” You were getting a bit concerned.

“Relax, I won’t kill him.” He said rolling his eyes. “A golden prison, as they say but a prison anyway.” He looked down and groaned. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to be at the mercy of a bully? When you do your best and it still won’t be enough?” You nodded. “I didn’t try to escape him because I was miserable, I wanted to make him pay.” 

“What did you say to that nurse,” Since he was giving answers, you thought you might try to appease your mind.

“What do you think I told her?” He grinned.

“I don’t know, did you threaten her?” 

“Yes.” You opened your mouth to protest but he cut you. “Calm down, I didn’t say I was going to slaughter her entire family. I simply remarked that my father financed the whole wing and that it would be a shame if he heard his son’s friend stayed four hours in the emergency room before seeing a doctor.” He laughed. “See, people in this town are terribly scared of Odin.”

“Sounds like they should.”

“But you’re not afraid.” He ran his hand on your left thigh. 

“I told you, I won’t break easily.” You replied with a smirk making sure he would understand the innuendo.

“We’ll see.” He added playfully, his hands still caressing your right thigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect smut in the next chapter! The tags will be changed accordingly ;)


	7. The sofa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2278 words. SMUT! Yes it is finally happening, so brace yourself! I have no idea how that happened but the chapter ends on a rather sad note.

Loki was caressing your tight with gentle yet light fingers. He leaned and kissed your knee that was still bent in front of you. He placed his hand behind your neck and pulled you closer to kiss your lips. 

He trailed kisses down your neck and unbuttoned your trousers. You raised your hips from the sofa and felt your trousers slide down your legs. He moved fast, careful not to hurt your swollen ankle and tossed your trousers behind the sofa. You rested your head on the arm of the sofa and closed your eyes. Spreading your legs he kissed his way up your tights. You opened your eyes after he stopped his sweet torture. His head was still buried between your legs but he raised his head to have your approval. You nodded quickly and felt his hands taking your panties down your legs. 

He was still wearing his suit but got rid of his jacket. You were wondering what he had in mind when you felt his hot breath on your sensitive flesh. Tilting your head you pressed your lips together when you felt the tip of his tongue slowly started to lick your entrance. You whimpered and ached your back as his tongue lapped your wet folds eagerly. You bit your lips repressing a moan.

“Don’t.” He said and you noticed his yes kept looking at your face the whole time. “I want to know how good this makes you feel.” Your moans soon filled the room as he kept flicking his tongue over your clit. “Good.” He grunted suckling gently on your lips tearing a long and marvellous complaint from your mouth. “It’s a great motivation.” He panted.

Your hands found their way into his hair as he lapped restlessly your hypersensitive clit. Feverishly, he delved his tongue into your hot slit. You let out a cry of pleasure, feeling his skilled tongue swirl into your glistering folds. He suckled your swollen bud, your legs still secured behind his shoulders. You moved frenetically, riding his face as your vision started to blur. You felt your climax built in your stomach as you spread your legs further. He kept you close felling yourself close around his tongue. When he withdrew himself, you whined in frustration and saw him smirk. He slithered up to claim your lips, his face was covered with your juices. You pulled him close and rubbed yourself against his hardened bulge. He pressed a hand behind your back and tried to slip his other hand between your tights as you were grinding yourself on him. You could taste yourself as he suckled on your tongue, kissing you with a fervour that was beyond imagination. You cried out his name when he inserted one finger into your soaked core. His long finger was moving at a restlessly slow pace inside your tight walls. 

“You’re dripping wet, my love.” He purred into your ear as you took a deep breath unable to function any more. 

He slowly pushed his long finger in and out your slick folds. Soon your moans turned into screams of pleasure and he curled a second finger inside you. He pumped his fingers into your pulsating folds breathing hard into your ear. You felt your eyes rolled in the back of your head as the feeling of his fingers thrusting inside you and his hot breath caressing your neck drove you mad. You could feel his own arousal stirring as he pressed himself against your stomach. You bucked your hips around his fingers and heard him snigger as he removed himself again leaving you empty and breathless. 

You shivered from anticipation and gave him an inquisitive stare, still unable to pronounce a word. He gave you a lustful smirk and cleaned his fingers savouring your sweet juices. He was standing on his knees in front of your open legs, his mouth was still covered with your heat as he liked his lips ready to give you what you wanted. Slowly, he unbuttoned his white shirt, one by one as you made incoherent noises. He kept his eyes on you while you were fidgeting on the sofa, eagerly awaiting for him. Once his chest was bare, he took his shirt off at an agonizing slow pace while he appreciated the look on your face. With a quick move he unbuckled his belt and undid his trousers. You wiggled under him as he got rid of his boxers. His erection was tickling your sensitive skin as he spread your legs further. He crawled on top of your body and kissed you passionately. He grabbed his large cock, he placed himself at your entrance, the tip of his cock brushing across your yet folds. You arched your back and grabbed his hips. Your muscles started to arch as he rubbed himself back and forth in your wetness. You whined as he teased you and buckled your hips in a desperate attempt to feel him inside you. 

“Tell me what you want.” He grinned inches from your face but you were not able to speak. His entrancing green-blue eyes sending shivers down your spine. You tried to talk but all you managed to utter was a long and high pitch yelp. You approached your mouth close to his ear and grazed your teeth across his earlobe. You breathed hitched as your arousal grew between your legs. You heard him hiss in pleasure. He moved his face from your and chortled before he ardently yanked your legs, making you squeaked as your head fell from the armrest and hit the cosy sofa. He stood on his knees with your legs straddle around his waist. 

He rolled his hips, pushing himself deep into your tight core and let out a loud grunt. You shriek at how incredibly large he was and he gently stoke the side of your face. He stood still letting you adapt to his large length then pushed slowly until he filled you completely. You shivered and panted breathlessly as you felt his hips on your ass. You knew he buried himself fully inside you. He grabbed your waist and moved slowly in and out of you. Still unable to speak, you hit his muscular chest hoping he would increase his speed. He seemed to understand as he chuckled and his hips began to thrust harder into you. You mewled helplessly at the exquisite pain of his thick veiny cock delving inside you. Rolling your hips frenetically, you arched your back and tried to spread your legs further. He bent your right leg in front of his face to reach deeper and winced when you dug you nails into his bare ass. He howled breathlessly grinning from ear to ear and speed up stretching your delicate walls. You smiled feeling amazingly full and satisfied. You felt your orgasm slowly rising. Feeling yourself coming closer, Loki reached down and rubbed your clit giving it a last push before you let your orgasm hit you completely. He grunted as your walls were clenching around his hard shaft.

“Do-Do you want… me… to come inside you?” He hissed through grilled teeth as his thrusts became more sporadic. You were still too weak to answer but you nodded between your moans. He pumped into you with his remaining strength and threw his head back. You had to close your eyes as your powerful orgasm tore a wail from your lips. You closed around his cock as he shot his seed deep into you with one last long growl. He closed his eyes shut and let his climax take a hold of him. You felt his cum dripping down your leg as he slid out of you. 

Carefully, he took your left leg up to prevent you from hurting your sore ankle. You closed your legs and ran your hands on your sweaty face. Your chest was moving irregularly as you tried to catch your breath. You sat up, feeling your sensitive wet lips rubbing against the sofa. Loki was sitting, his eyes were looking at the ceiling, his shaft now resting flaccid on his stomach. He chuckled and bent down to pick your panties. He turned around and gave you a long kiss. You tried to open your eyes after the kiss but your eyelids felt too heavy. You moved slightly feeling yourself falling asleep. You heard a small laugh and felt your body rise from the sofa. 

You woke up the next morning, comfortably seated in your bed. You rubbed your eyes and noticed a large pillow placed under your left ankle. You smiled and looked around, on the bedside table a bottle of water and a thermos of hot brew were placed next to a note and a plate of biscuits. The note was from Loki and reminded you not to walk and stay in bed. You rolled your eyes slightly, thinking that he was taking the doctor’s orders a bit too literal and left your bed to take a shower. The day went by very slowly, you called the shop to check on them and sat on a chair in your kitchen doodling some new cake designs. At around seven, you heard voices in the corridor, a woman was talking rather harshly to a man. You limped towards the door, curious to see which one of your neighbours it might be when you recognised the voice of Y/bff. Looking through the peephole, you saw Loki rolling his eyes as she tried to keep her distance. She knocked on the door.

“Open, Y/n. It’s me.” She screamed.

“You’re not alone.” Loki replied knocking on the door as well.

“Why are you always still here?” She barked at him. He gave her a menacing stare.

You rolled your eyes and sat down on the floor. The lights were out and you stayed quiet, they were arguing again and you didn’t have the strength to deal with them. You wondered if you could just pretend to be asleep but they continued pummelling at the door. Surely they were going to disturb the entire floor.

“I won’t open until you stop arguing.” You said loudly.

You heard them grumble. Suddenly, the corridor went quiet and you wondered what was happening. You stood up slowly and looked through the peephole again. Loki was facing Y/bff with his arm crossed. She was dramatically standing with her hands on her hips. Clearly none of them wanted to be the first one to apologise.

“I won’t apologise.” Y/bff said quietly.

“I have nothing to apologise for.” Loki replied.

You pressed your head on the wooden surface and sighed. You stood on one foot and smiled.

“So? Hurry, I’m standing behind the door and my ankle hurts.” You said in a deliberately shaky voice.

“So sorry, please accept my deepest apologises.” Loki said as fast as he could. “Now, open!” He shouted at the door.

You opened the door and gave them a scolding stare. “One day, you will have to get along.”

“We are, look!” Y/bff said punching Loki’s shoulder. She clearly tried to hurt him but he barely even flinched. Exasperated, you let them in. Y/bff threw her coat on your sofa unaware of the great memories you created on it the previous night. Loki grabbed your waist and placed a soft kiss on your lips. 

“Get a room!” Y/bff snarled when she noticed how close you were.

“Great idea.” Loki replied with a smirk.

She cursed him and left towards the kitchen.

“Do you want to stay over?” You asked playing with Loki’s tie.

“Unfortunately,” he pulled you closer. “If I have to spend another minute with your friend, I will murder her.” He snorted after you punched his chest. “I’ll call you later.” He left and closed the door behind him.  
You met Y/bff in the kitchen, she was setting the table for two.

“Oh no, did he have to go? Shame.” She faked a sad tone.

“You told me you were going to make an effort.” You sat down pressing a hand on your forehead.

“Yeah, but come on. We both know he’s not going to stay around.”

“What do you mean?”

“These kind of guys,” She said without looking at you. “They get what they want and then, pouf!” She moved her hands like a magician. “They vanish into thin air.”

“Wrong, he came here today.” You said before you cursed yourself silently. She turned around slowly and her mouth opened wide.

“No fucking way!” She slammed her hands on the table. “You two…” She winced while making big gestures that were supposed to represent two people having sex. You nodded against your will. “Ohohoh! I need to know.” She moved closer. “I bet he has a small dick.” 

You spend the evening telling her about the wonderful night you spend with Loki. You told her just enough to shut her up and she agreed that you indeed looked happy. You drank and giggled the night away. When she was gone, you wondered if you should call Loki. You decided not to but her words kept echoing in your head. You shook your head thinking that Loki was not that kind of man. Two days later, you started to wonder if she wasn’t right about him as you still waited for his phone call.


	8. The deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3095 words. Ok! Meet Thor’s fiancée and Loki had a little too much to drink…

Your ankle started to feel better so you decided to go back to work. You couldn’t spend another day in your flat, wondering if Loki was going to call you or not. You still limped a lot but the pain faded.

“Woah woah woah,” Y/bff said when you stepped inside the kitchen. “You’re not going back to work!”

“I feel good.” You winced at the sudden flash of pain. “Okay not that good but I can’t stay at home anymore. I’m going to be crazy.”

“Why? I would love to spend my days doing nothing.” She replied setting the kitchen utensils for mini apple pies. 

“It’s fun… for a day or two but then it’s pretty boring.” You couldn’t tell her that the real reason was that you were still waiting for Loki’s phone call. She would never shut up about it. 

“You didn’t see Loki?” She asked rolling the pastry on the cold worktop.

“Nope, he had to work.” You lied feeling your checks burn. “I’ll try to stand still today. I’m going in the front shop.” You stood and moved slowly in the front shop.

You greeted customers and helped them with their orders until it was time to go. At noon, you spotted Loki’s black Jaguar down the street. Ah! So he’s still alive, you thought. Before you left, you checked your  
mobile but he seemed to have forgotten about you. You noticed a note next to your locker. ‘Meeting with Thor and his fiancée. Friday, 6pm.’ You turned around on your good leg.

“Hey!” You said out loud. “We have a meeting for the Odinson wedding tomorrow? Why am I the last to know?” 

“Because it’s a source of stress and you’re bad with that. And you were not supposed to come back until next Tuesday.” Y/bff chanted as she buttoned her white coat.

“I’m in charge, you’re supposed to tell me these things!” You slammed the door of your locker in a dramatic gesture but it went back to your face.

“And when you’re not here, I’m the boss. I’m as capable as you are with these mundane shits.” She said and you furrowed your brows. “Come on! I don’t talk to them like that!”

“Need a ride home.” Your colleague Stephen asked waving his car keys in front of you.

“Please.” You smiled and followed him to his car. On the way, he noticed how badly you were limping and offered his shoulder. “Thank you.” You grabbed it as he put his arm around your waist to give you more stability. Once he made sure you were sitting comfortably, he closed the door.

“What’s going on?” He asked when he saw you turn your head around.

“Nothing.” You saw a shadow and thought someone was going to knock on the window but when you turned around, there was nothing.

He started the engine and drove all the way to your flat. He asked if you needed help to climb the stairs but you told him it was fine. Once you closed your front door behind you, you grabbed your mobile in your purse. You were tempted to call Loki, but you didn’t want to be the one calling first. You did your normal night routine and went to bed early, that way you would not think about him. It didn’t work very well, every time you closed your eyes, you had creepy nightmares. Not the kind of nightmare that make you wake up all sweaty and breathless but still you could hear his maniac laughter ringing in your ears.  
The next day, looked pretty much like the one before. You looked at your watch every five minutes hoping that it was time for your meeting with Thor. You were doodling on a piece of paper still sitting behind the counter when you noticed a slim brunette entering your shop. 

“Hello I’m a bit early.” She said taking her military hat off her head. “I’m Sif, Thor’s fiancée.” She leaned her hand for you to shake.

“Oh right! Sorry I didn’t recognise you with your outfit.” She was wearing a military camouflage outfit.

“Less glamorous than a cocktail dress.” She laughed. “But more practical.” 

You told her to sit and talked with her until Y/bff walked into the front shop. It was almost six and a half when Thor stepped into the shop looking agitated. Sif stood up from her seat and excused herself as she joined Thor. 

“Did you find him?” She asked quietly taking his hand in hers. You heard everything and wondered who they were talking about. Curious, you listened their conversation without looking at them.

“No. I’ve looked everywhere.” He looked in your direction. “She might know.” Your eyes opened wide as they both looked at you. Sif nodded and sat back.

“So, let’s start. I know what I don’t want.” She said grabbing the attention of Y/bff while you moved from behind the counter to meet Thor.

“What is going on?”

“I can’t find Loki. From what I’ve heard, you two get along. Do you know where he is?”

“I have absolutely no idea.” You said raising both your hands in the air. “He was supposed to call me, but he never did.” You murmured.

Thor buried his face in his large hands and sighed loudly. 

“Okay let’s not panic. He’ll be back, right?” He bit his thumb trying to convince himself. “He better be back before tomorrow or-” He stopped in the middle of his sentence realising he was thinking out loud.

“Or what?” You asked suddenly alarmed.

“Or my father will do something he threatens to do for years.” He replied knowing that he already said too much.

“The forty millions.” You whispered so quietly that only he could hear it.

“Yeah, that exactly. He has until tomorrow before my father calls the police and-” He stooped curtly realising what you just said. “How do you know about that?”

“Loki.” 

“Loki told you that?” He blinked in shock. “He must really trust you.”

“I’ll try to call him when I’ll get home.” You replied tapping his massive shoulder.

Needless to say none of you were focusing much on the meeting. Y/bff had no idea what was going on and you didn’t want to alarm her. Luckily, Sif was really good at pretending everything was okay. Perhaps, she didn’t really care about Loki but she surely cared about Thor and right now Thor was a mess. His eyes were red but you couldn’t tell if it was from a lack of sleep, crying or both. He nodded pensively at everything Y/bff said, looking around to see if Loki didn’t magically appear in front of the shop. That’s when you remembered you saw Loki’s car the day before. When he was about to leave, you told Thor who painfully smiled at you.

“So he’s still around. That’s a good thing, thank you.”

You closed the shop and cleaned with the rest of the team. At some point someone offered to buy some drinks but you declined politely.

“Are you sure?” Y/bff said. “Oh you have a sexy rendezvous with your bad boy.” She made it sound so much wicked but you shook your head. 

“No, I’m tired and my ankle hurts.” You lied. You wanted to get home and call Loki. If his father called the police, he was screwed. 

You parted ways with the rest of your colleagues and went home. The tube was crowded, it was a Friday night and thus began the longest ride home you had in ages. Finally you arrived in front of your building’s door when the caretaker barked at you.

“Hey Miss Y/l/n!” You turned and greeted him. “Yeah, hi. Don’t let your friends hang out in the hallway, it disturbs the other tenants.” 

You raised your hand, cursing Loki and Y/bff in your head. “Sorry I knew they were making a fuss, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay.” He calmed down. “Then tell him to get lost. It’s past nine, people have other things to do.”

“Sure, wait what?” You ran up the stairs the best you could considering you only had one good ankle. Once you arrived at your floor, you saw a dishevelled Loki sitting on the floor next to your door. His tie was undone and hanged around his neck. His long legs were spread in front of him and blocked the way but he didn’t seem to care. His suit was rumpled and stained around his knees. He was slamming his fists on the floor.

“I know you’re in there.” He hiccuped. “Come on, open the door.” He sobbed kicking the wall in front of him. He clearly had too much to drink. 

You carefully approached and placed yourself in his line of vision. 

“Why don’t you open the door?” He cried looking at you. “I know you’re hiding but I won’t go away.” He continued to shout at the door.

Slowly you unlocked the door and squatted down to see his face. “Come on.” You said forcing himself on his feet. He stumbled and collapsed on you, forcing you to lean on your bad ankle. You swallowed your pain, tears started to blur your vision and pushed him inside your flat. You closed the door and looked at him. He walked in zigzag and collapsed on your sofa, you limped and joined him. You looked for his phone but couldn’t find it. You went to the kitchen and prepared a strong black coffee while calling Thor’s office.

“Hi, it’s Y/n. I don’t have your personal phone number but about that thing you told me earlier… I took care of it. You don’t need to stress.” You said in codes in case someone else heard your message. 

Back in the living room, you sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa and poured coffee in a mug. Loki looked at you completely stunned, like you were going to poison him with that hot drink.

"Drink up" You said placing the cup of coffee under his nose. He winced but you forced him to drink the black and bitter liquid.

"What… you do in the kitchen?" He asked pushing the empty cup away from his face.

"I was making coffee" You rolled your eyes at him.

"Don't do that… I know exactly what you were doing!" He tried to stand up with failed miserably and fell back on the sofa waving his index finger with scripted eyes. "You..." He hiccuped. You were calling your boyfriend to tell him it wasn't safe to come."

"What the hell are you talking about?" You furrowed your brows.

"That Stephen guy, the one who smells like damped shoes. I saw you two… together last night." He moved his face inches from yours in a failed attempt to intimidate you. You could smell his alcohol tinted breath, and filled another cup of coffee. 

"He drove me home because I can’t walk properly." You said placing the cup in his hand. "Nothing is going on between him and I. And if you must know, I was calling your brother."

His eyes opened wide and he sunk deeper into the sofa. "You and Thor?! How can you do that to me?" He was now moving frantically, spilling coffee everywhere. He must have burnt himself with the coffee but he didn't seem to feel it. "So I was just a ladder to you. So you can fuck him?"

You took the cup from his hand and felt the hot beverage on your skin. Loki was completely hammered. There was no point in trying to explain anything. 

"I do not want to fuck your brother. Who do you think I am? Sleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

You pushed him on the sofa and almost instantly he closed his eyes. You were too infuriated to take care of him so you just let him there and left in your room, closing the door behind you. You sat on your bed and sighed. Part of you wanted to burst in laughter. In a way, he was pretty pathetic but also kind of touching. Surprisingly it took you about three seconds to fall asleep. The next morning, Loki’s mobile woke you up before your alarm had the chance to. You waited but obviously Loki was still sound asleep. You stepped inside the living room and took his phone in your hands, Loki was still sleeping on your sofa, one of his hands was almost touching the ground and he covered himself with his jacket at some point during the night. You looked at his phone and saw Thor was calling. 

“Loki!” Thor said with great hopes once you answered the phone.

“No, it’s Y/n.” You whispered.

“Y/n? Did you find Loki’s phone?”

“I found more than his mobile. I found him last night, behind my door, completely snockered.” You heard Thor sighed.

“Where is he now?” He asked.

“Sleeping on my sofa.” 

“I’m going to pick him up. Tell me where you live.”

“Alright, it’s-” You were cut by Loki’s hands snatching the phone from your hands and cutting the conversation before you had the chance to tell Thor where he could find you. “Hey! What are you doing?” You yelled and saw him scowled as your loud voice echoed in his head.

He stumbled clearing disorientated and grabbed his head with one hand, the other still holding his phone. He opened his mouth but his voice was stuck in his throat. Slowly he raised his pointer finger and waved it in front of you.

“Is that supposed to intimidate me?” You said pushing him back on to the sofa. He fell on it and gestured his hands asking that you kept the volume down. “No way.” You said even louder. “You came to my door and accuse me of sleeping with everyone!” He noticed the coffee on the table and reached for it. He drank the whole cup of cold and bitter liquid. “What happened to you? Everyone is worried sick.”

“Ah!” He finally managed to say. You waited, arms crossed looking down at him. He looked around, his eyes finally adapting to the bright room, when he saw the stains of coffee he made earlier. “Sorry.” He mouthed.

He was still a mess, reluctantly you went to make more coffee. If you wanted answers, he had to be rather coherent. When you were done you came back in the living room to see him sitting on the edge of the sofa, his face buried in his hands. You sat on the armrest and stroked his neck. He raised his head and took the cup you offered him. 

“Ready to tell me what happened?” You asked after he finished his cup. 

He rubbed his eyes and cleared his voice. “When I left you the other day.” His voice was lower than usual. “I found a man in front of my building. He was waiting for me.” He rolled his fingers on his temples annoyed by the sound of his own voice. 

“Sounds familiar.” You replied dryly.

“Hmm” He groaned. “He gave me an envelope.” He searched inside his trousers pockets and found little pieces of paper that he must have torn earlier. He placed them in your hands. “My father.” He continued. 

“He’s not my biological father.” 

You were putting the pieces of paper together when you understood it was a letter from a man who claimed to be his real father. You had trouble reading the letter as it was torn and dirty but what you managed to read was making you feel really uncomfortable.

“Laufey?” You read the signature at the bottom. 

“He’s dead.” He nodded. “When he knew he was going to die, he made a deal with Odin. The deal was that Odin would support Laufey’s company after his death and in exchange, Laufey gave him his only heir. Me.”

“That’s savaged.” You gasped. “What happened to Laufey’s company? I never heard of it.”

“What do you think? Laufey was dead, his son was now the property of Odin. He fired everyone and dissolved it.” His voice started to return to normal. “No one would ever know about the deal.”

“Well, someone did.” You said showing the pieces of paper. 

“It was delivered by a man who had no idea what it was. Just a letter put in a safe for more than twenty years.” He was not looking at you but you could see that Loki was staring into space.

“So you just ran away? You could have come here, I mean, before you started drinking.”

“I did. I went to your shop but I saw you with that guy, Steve or whatever. So I just left.” You remembered the moment you sat inside Stephen’s car, you thought you’d seen someone but the shadow disappeared. Now it made sense. “I need you.” He said after a moment, taking your hand in his.

“You have to go back. Thor looked everywhere for you, he’s worried. Your father is going to report you.”

“He’s not my father!” Loki shrieked, for a second he forgot his migraine. “And if Odin is not my father, I have no business with Thor.” 

Someone knocked on the door and you stood up to see who it was. When you looked through the peephole, you saw Thor nervously looking around him. You turned around to look at Loki and he understood, he stood up and hid himself in the kitchen. 

“Hi.” You greeted Thor opening the door.

“Morning, I found your address in my father’s agenda.” He looked around your living room. “Is Loki here?” 

“No, he left when he heard you were coming.” You lied. You were not sure why you lied but the words escaped your mouth before you could think of something.

“Did he say anything? Where he was going?” You shrugged and played with the doorknob. “Call me if you see him.” Thor sighed heavily and gave you a piece of paper with his number on it.

“Good luck.” You said closing the door.

Once he was sure you were alone, Loki left the kitchen and stood in front of you.

“You lied to him.” He grinned wickedly.

“I have idea why I did that.” 

“I think I do.” He said coming closer to take you in his arms.

“Swear you will go back to Odin before he decides to report you to the police.” You whispered in his ear.

“I swear, love. I wouldn’t risk losing you.”


	9. The mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2760 words. Angst and fluff basically. There are about three sentences in this chapter that I don’t own and you’ll notice them right away ;) Also, the end is kind of frustrating ahah.

It was Saturday morning and after a quick shower Loki decided to keep his promise and confront his father. He walked in the long corridor that led to his office. He walked pass his door and turned to enter his father’s office. Loki inhaled deeply before he went to confront Odin. Odin’s door was already open, he was standing behind his massive desk. Frigga was a few steps away from him, she tried to appease him, but Odin was not listening to her. Thor was facing his father and turned around when he heard muffled footsteps. He was surprised to see Loki. He was reassured to him and walked towards him, with a big smile. Loki held a hand to stop Thor.

“Do not touch me.” He hissed at his brother. “You wanted to see me, Odin?”

“What is the matter with you?” Thor asked when he heard his younger brother call their father by his name.

“He knows.” Loki replied dryly pointing at Odin.

“Thor, leave us please.” Odin said as he realised Loki knew the truth about his real parentage.

“Father!” Thor pleaded.

“Come on now.” Frigga made a move towards the door but Loki stopped her.

“No, no, no.” He tutted. “Tell him. Tell him what you did.”

“Father?” Thor asked.

Odin sat down in his desk chair and rested his elbows on the desk. He remained quiet for a moment before Loki started to tap his foot on the floor. Odin raised his head and looked at Thor.

“Loki is not your brother.” He simply said and watched as Thor’s face went from concern to disbelief. Thor turned to look at Loki who supported his stare.

“You really chose the simplest words to explain the situation, didn’t you?” He stood with his arms crossed. “You see, _brother_ ,” He emphasised the last word as he turned to face Thor. “Odin took me as a… what would you say? Bribe? Oh no, bribe would make you look immoral. I was a gift.”

“Everything I did, I did it for you.” Odin said standing up. “Laufey was the only family you had. I did it for you, to give you a chance. A chance to be more than an orphan, I gave you my family.”

“You can lie to yourself but not to me. Not to me!” Loki shouted. “You could have told me from the beginning. You did what you had to do to eliminate the competition. Now I understand, I understand why Thor was always your favourite. You couldn’t bear to see the son of your enemy as the head of your company.” By the end of his sentence, Loki was in tears. He was breaking down in front of the people he always thought would be there for him but now everything felt like a lie.

“Lo-” Odin started but Loki cut him.

“Don’t tell me otherwise. You repel me.” He spat before he moved to leave.

“Brother, I-”

“I am not your brother, don’t call me that.” Loki hissed as he grabbed Thor by his shirt. “If Odin is not my father then you are not my brother. And you,” He turned to face his mother, his fist still clenched on the shirt. Frigga was looking at him, she did not say a word, but her eyes were shining. “You… you stay away from me.” He said unable to look her in the eyes.

He let Thor go and ran out of the room to lock himself in his own office. He stayed silent for a long time sitting on the soft carpet with his back pressed against the door. Someone knocked on the door.

“Go away.” Loki replied punching the door.

“It’s Thor.” The voice said.

“Go away, Thor.” Loki replied with another punch.

“I could break the door down but I’d really rather you let me in.” Thor said getting impatient.

“Why can’t you leave me in peace?” Loki asked with anger as he opened the door.

“Because you’re my brother.” Thor said pushing him out of the way. “Shut up.” He cut Loki before he even had the chance to reply. “I know you, we grew up together. I punched those who called you a freak and I made father change his mind when he wanted to throw your sorry ass in jail. I’m your brother, that you like it or not.”

“Am I supposed to cry and remember all the good times?”

“Stop acting like a child. I came to tell you something.”

“Whatever you have to say, oh dear _brother_ , I am not interested.” Loki replied turning his back from Thor.

“Stay away from Y/n.” Thor sighed.

Loki turned around so fast that started to feel dizzy.

“Don’t tell me what to do. You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

“I know you care for her and I also know you will never say this explicitly to my face. Drop the act, Loki. If father finds out about her, what do you think he will do to her? Or to her company?” Loki’s eyes looked around in fear. “That’s right, she will end up like all those who made him feel like he was losing control. He will destroy her.”

“Do you think daddy dear would like to hear you say these nice things about him?” Loki replied mischievously trying to hide the fear in his voice. Deep down, he knew Thor was right but he would not let him gloat.

“I’m doing this for my brother. Don’t think I’ve turned my back on you.” Thor said with a sincere pat on Loki’s shoulder.

“If only I cared.” Loki replied taking Thor’s hand away and shouldered him out of the way.

Loki walked fast as he left the building, he took his phone from his pocket and started to text you. Some people almost bumped into him and yelled at him to look where he was going but he didn’t care. _I talked to Odin. I have things to deal with, I’ll call you in a few days x._ He stepped behind the wheel of his black Jaguar and started the engine. Once he arrived in front of his flat, he noticed a reply from you.

_Is everything all right? Call me when you can._

He typed an answer quickly and locked his car. Carl, the valet, greeted him and held his hand to take the car keys. Loki walked pass him without saying a word, leaving the poor man baffled. In the hall, his neighbours hailed him, only to receive the same treatment. He opened his front door and slammed it behind him. He ran up the stairs and took some clothes and necessary things that he put in a gym bag.

When he came down the stairs, he put the bag on his sofa and went straight to his kitchen. He stopped in front of the family picture he hung on the wall. He took it firmly in his hands and smashed it on the floor. After that he was unstoppable, he trashed his flat without mercy. All the fancy china was shattered on the floor, pieces of crystal glass reflecting on the floor as the sun touched them. He broke the chairs one by one and smashed other valuable objects against the walls. With a large kitchen knife, he finished the sofa, the beds and the curtains.

Once he was done he looked around him, absolutely everything was in ruins. Except for one little thing, a crystal glass that he made sure to spare and placed it carefully in his bag. He was about to leave, satisfied with his work when he heard someone walk on the broken china. He turned around to see his mother.

“My God, Loki.” She said in a shaky voice.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Loki turned his back and picked up the bag he prepared. “Leave me.”

“You’re father never meant to hurt you.”

“He’s not my father!” Loki screamed without looking at her.

“Then, am I not your mother?” She walked closer careful not to hurt herself with the shards on the floor. He turned to leave and saw her inches from him.

“You’re not.” He replied walking closer to the door.

“Loki, I beg you, stay with us.”

“I can’t leave, can I? I wouldn’t give Odin the pleasure of destroying the last thing I have.”

“What are you talking about, dear?”

“Nevermind. I will come to your parties and weddings. After all, the best way to destroy all of you,” He held the doorknob in his large hand as he turned slightly to look at her face. “is to do it from the inside.” He slammed the door with a smirk on his face.

Almost one week later you were running around in your shop, Friday was the busiest day of the week and although you were extremely busy, you kept wondering how Loki was doing. You received a text from him but it was a week ago. You decided to respect his intimacy and didn’t call him although you were desperate to.

“Look at that!” Y/bff said holding the agenda. “We’re booked for four weddings, two baptisms, six wedding anniversaries and five birthdays.”

Your co-workers cheered and clapped. It was probably thanks to the popularity of Odin but you thought that it was good anyway.

“Do you really think we still have to work on Sundays?” She pouted.

“No. I think we’re good for a month or two.” Immediately after you heard your co-workers scream in joy throwing their aprons in the air. “Oh, come on!” You laughed.

The team finished cleaning, they were even more excited now that tomorrow was their last day of the week. It was around six in the afternoon when you arrived home and someone was waiting for you. _Again? I hope it’s not another drunk friend._ It was dark but you recognised Loki’s mother from the photo you’ve seen in his flat. You walked slowly, wondering if you should act like you didn’t know her. Because after all, you never met her.

“Miss Y/l/n?” She asked when she seemed to recognise you. You nodded and she smiled. She was very sophisticated with her long black coat and perfect hair. “Nice to meet you. I’m Odin’s wife, Frigga.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” You shook her hand.

“Do you mind if I talk to you privately?”

You invited her inside your flat. Once she stepped inside, she took her gloves off and unbuttoned her coat. You closed the door and asked her if she wanted to drink anything. She replied that she wouldn’t mind a nice cup of tea. You took her coat and left it on your sofa before you went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. She was looking around like Loki did the first time he paced your flat.

“You have a nice apartment, miss.” She said still holding her gloves in one hand. She was wearing an elegant below the knee skirt with a yellow blouse that made her look even more sophisticated. She sat on one of the chairs around the kitchen table and thanked you for the tea.

“I’m terribly sorry to disturb you on a Friday night.” She said bringing the cup to her lips. You shook your head. “I am not usually this open when it comes to my private life but it came to my attention that you and my youngest son have…” She paused to find a suitable word. “Seen each other quite a lot these days.” She continued with a smile.

You knew she was here to talk about Loki, it was the only connection you could find. She wouldn’t come directly to your house to talk about the cakes for her other son’s wedding. You stayed silent not knowing if Loki had mentioned you to his mother.

“Don’t worry, child. I don’t disapprove, not at all.” She smiled and put the cup down.

“Can I do something for you?” You looked a bit relieved at that news.

“It’s a delicate subject and I-” She looked at her cup. “Loki wants revenge. And I know my son, whatever he might say, he will not stop until… until he has what he wants.” She raised her head and looked at you with her big blue eyes. “I have never seen him so devoted to anyone before. He truly likes you and part of me hopes you’re not toying with him.”

“I’m not.” You quickly answered. Love is a complex feeling, you were not sure you loved him but you cared for him with a passion you’d never felt before.

“Good.” She said with a large smile revealing her perfect white teeth. “There is a party tomorrow, a Christmas party for the company. You should join us, your presence might appease Loki’s resentment.”

“Hum, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I will be waiting for you at five at this address.” She took her bag and wrote something on a piece of paper before she gave it to you. Frigga hoped that with you around Loki would not try to ruin everything, but she also hoped that Odin would not pressure Loki either.

You took the paper and realised you were meeting at a beauty salon. She was going to give you a makeover, you pressed your lips together and stood up. She clearly had more in mind and while you didn’t want to go to their party, you thought of the work you still had to do for Thor’s wedding. If they broke the contract, you were screwed. While you were daydreaming about Frigga’s true intentions, she stood up and picked her coat.

“I will leave you now. Oh and don’t forget, tomorrow afternoon at five. Have a lovely evening.” She waved and left.

You were still standing by the kitchen table, you looked at you reflection in a mirror and wondered if there was something wrong about your appearance. You had a bit of flour in your hair, the curse of being a cook but other than that, you looked pretty good. You gasped when you heard someone knocking and went to open the door.

“What was she doing here?” Loki asked refereeing to his mother.

“Hello, nice to see you too. How have you been? Oh good thanks.” You mocked having a conversation with yourself. Loki snorted and cupped your face in his large hands.

“Sorry, love.” He said placing a soft kiss on your lips. “How are you?”

“I’m okay. Thanks for asking.” You winked and pulled him inside your flat.

Once he was in, he closed the door with a swift movement of his foot and kissed you passionately. You missed him and his entrancing smell. With him besides you, you felt like a queen. After a moment, he stepped back.

“Forgive me, I’ve been distant this week.”

“I can understand that.” You said wrapping your arms around him. “But don’t do it again.”

“I won’t.” He chuckled. “Now, care to tell me why she was visiting you?”

“She wants to hang out with me.” You said in a half lie. You didn’t want to tell him about the invitation, you were still not sure to show up.

“My mother?” He asked bending his body so he could look at you in the eyes.

You stood on your tiptoes and pecked his lips.

“You called her ‘mother’” You remarked with a smirk.

“Old habits die hard.” He replied getting away from your embrace. You frowned thinking he would leave but he stepped into the kitchen and picked the paper his mother left.

“Are you going to go there?”

“I don’t know. Should I?”

“What does she want?” He whispered to himself.

You knew what she wanted, she wanted you to distract Loki. She believed that with you around he would behave, but you’re not his babysitter. Or perhaps there was something else.

“You should go.” He said after a while. “You’re still employed by Odin. I don’t want to see you fall… not again.” He added with a silly smile. “About that, how’s your ankle?”

“Much better.” You smiled as you crossed your legs sitting on the sofa. You looked at him with a playful smile and slowly lifted your skirt up your legs.

He looked at your legs and with a swift move, he removed his jacket. You knew what he was thinking and stood up quickly.

“Not here.” You whispered as his lustful eyes undressed you. You took his hand and guided him towards the bedroom.


	10. The bowtie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4664 words. Okay sorry it took me a while to write it. It’s longer than usual and you’ll find some sub!loki. So expect lots of teasing, fluff and angst. Enjoy!

It was past five, when you pushed the door of the beauty salon. Your passionate night with Loki made you late for work and as a result you were late for your meeting with Frigga. The woman behind the counter looked at you with a hypocrite smile as she inspected your outfit. You were late and had to run which messed your hair and you probably had flour all over your clothes and hair.

“Good afternoon Miss. How can I help you?”

“I… I have… a meeting,” You panted trying to catch your breath. “Frigga-”

“Oh yes, she is waiting for you in the VIP room.”

You tried to keep a straight face as she led you to the VIP room. She walked fast on her high heels, turning her face to see if you were still following. You were looking around appreciating the fancy lights and mirrors placed everywhere. You passed by other employees and greeted them politely. You heard them chuckled when you reached them but they welcomed you with duplicitous smiles. Once you arrived in the room, you noticed Frigga sat on a chair in front of a mirror, a man was pulling her hair deciding on a suitable look for the party.

“Come in, sweetheart.” She said moving her hand to catch the attention of the man. He turned to look at you and smile. He wasn’t trying to be condescending and you smiled back in relief. “Look at her,” Frigga said standing up to greet you, her long hair hanging loosely on her shoulders. “You will have a lot of work with her.” She said to the man who stood at bit further away from you. His finger was pressed on his lips as his eyes inspected you closely. “She’s already divine, I wonder how you can top that.” She added placing her hands on your shoulders. You felt your check go warm at the compliment. She waved at the woman who brought you here to take your coat and purse.

“I know exactly what to do.” He said snapping his fingers.

You felt his hand on your arm, pulling you closer to the mirror and pushed you onto the chair. He played with your hair like he did with Frigga’s. The two of them talked about what to do with your hair. You understood French braid and waves but after that you were completely lost.

It took him less than an hour to make your hair look absolutely wonderful. You sat in front of the mirror wondering how he did it so fast. He turned the chair so that you would face Frigga who was reading a magazine as someone did her hair. She put her magazine down and clapped.

“Well done, it’s superb.”

Another hour later, your makeup was done too. He perfectly enhanced every single feature of your face, you looked at yourself in the mirror. It was you but you couldn’t believe it, it was like someone photoshopped your face in real life. You blinked in shock and heard him laugh.

“I love when they do that.” He looked at how stunned you were and smiled.

When you left the beauty salon, you followed Frigga into a limousine that waited at the corner of the street. You stopped in front of a shop, there was an emerald green gown that caught your attention. Frigga stopped in front of the widow and held your arm.

“What a nice dress.”

You nodded silently. You looked at the price and gasped, it was more than what you made in a month.

“Oh and it’s cheap too!” Frigga said looking at the price. She moved towards the front door and tried to open it. “Oh, it’s already close.”

“It’s alright, I couldn’t afford something like that anyway.” You said turning your gaze away from the dress.

It was rather funny to see the limousine park in front of your flat, passer-by turned around curious to see who was hiding inside the car. You thanked Frigga about a million times before you left the car.

“My dear, it’s nothing. I like to have company.” She waved from the widow as the car drove away.

You pushed the door and stepped into your flat. You went to look at your face under the familiar lights of your bathroom. After that you just tried to pick a dress for the evening. Everything you had wasn’t suitable for a fancy Christmas party, but in the back of your wardrobe, you found an old dress that you wore at a wedding. It was pretty fancy so you took it out and threw it on the bed. You were taking your shirt off very carefully to keep your hair in place when you heard a knock on the door. You moved to see who it was and saw a man holding a black cover. Curious, you opened the door.

“Good evening, Miss. Lady Frigga sends me to drive you to the party. I will wait for you downstairs.” He said holding the cover in front of you. “A present from the lady.” You were surprised by the weight of the cover but smiled to the man and told him you will do as fast as you can.

Back in your room you unzipped the cover and wheezed at the sight of the green dress you saw in the shop. You took it out quickly and after you stripped of all your clothes, you managed to get in the dress. It was a bit tricky, the dress had no zip or buttons. The top of the dress was the same colour as your skin with green patterns embroidered so that it didn’t seem that you were walking around topless. A thin black belt enhanced the shape of your waist. The bottom of the dress was a dark emerald green colour so soft and so fluid that it followed your every move. The dress was beyond gorgeous and you did it great justice. You noticed something at your feet, which probably came out of the cover when you took the dress. It was a little green clutch that went with the dress, it was too small to put anything in it but you thought it would be good enough for your keys and mobile. You looked inside the black cover to see if you missed anything and saw a pair of matte black round-toe pumps. You quickly put them on gaining at least four inches. You took all the things you needed trying to walk on the high heels and left your flat.

You looked around shivering in the cold winter night when you saw the driver waving at you.

“Very nice, Miss.” He said opening the door.

You thanked him and felt the warmth of the car enveloping your body. In your hurry you forgot to take a coat but when you thought about it nothing would have been enough with this outfit. He drove for a good twenty minutes until he stopped in front of a gigantic building guarded by valets and bodyguards. A sea of press photographers waited behind a line. You held a hand to open the door but the driver opened it for you. When you stepped out of the car, the flash of the photographers taking your pictures blinded you. You must have looked like a puppy trying to swim for the first time. You couldn’t see well and stumbled on the steps making a fool of yourself. A man arrived behind you and held your arm to help you climb the stairs, you tried to look at him but you couldn’t see well. The only thing you noticed was his golden hair and his charming smile. Another man held the door open and once your eyes adjusted to the lights you turned around to thank your saviour.

“Thank you, I’m not used to this.” You said blinking the light away.

“No problem, I can never resist a damsel in distress.”

“Y/n.” You said shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Fandral. “So who invited you? Sif? Are you working with her?”

“No, I’m a caterer. I was invited by Lady Frigga.”

“Oh, right! I’ve never seen a caterer that well-dressed.” He said in a bit sufficient tone. You shrugged your shoulders. “Come, I’ll guide you around until she arrives.”

You followed him into the great ball room, you stood nervous behind him. He started to talk with a group of girls and you decided to pace the room alone. You stood near the great golden doors waiting for Loki. You waited for what seemed like ages and after a while you just wanted to see a familiar face, Thor, Sif, Frigga or even Odin.

When Odin arrived with all his followers, people started to cheer and clap while photographers took pictures of him. Frigga followed him smiling and waving at the people she knew. Odin waited for her and took her hand before he joined his table. You looked around and saw Thor and Sif away from the crowd. She was on her tiptoes smoothing Thor’s costume. He took her hand and placed a kiss on the top of her hand. You smiled and decided to leave them alone. You moved a bit away from the crowd and walked down the large hallway. You were looking at the paintings on the walls when you saw a man pushing the glass door so that Loki could enter the building. He looked absolutely dreamy with his black suit that hugged his body in the most agreeable way. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the cameras and the people around him. You smiled and waited for him to reach up to you.

He was almost in front of you when he bent his head as a polite greeting. You froze in shock and almost burst in laughter. He did a couple more steps until he turned around on his heel and looked at you like he knew who you were. You waved with a shy smile, the makeover was quite effective.

“Y/n?” He asked dumbfounded.

“Ah, I thought you would not recognise me.” You laughed as your cheeks blushed.

He kept blinking, his mouth wide open unable to assimilate the surprise.

“Can you say something? I’m really not comfortable.”

He closed and opened his mouth a few times. “I… I… I mean…” He moved his hands in front of him as if he was presenting you to an invisible audience. “You look spectacular.” He moved closer and looked around him, you were the only one in the corridor. He took your face in his hands and kissed you on the cheek. Your perfect eyebrows raised suddenly, you were expecting something more passionate.  

A man entered the corridor and almost instantly Loki stepped back.

“Ah Loki. I was looking for you, how are you?” The man asked patting him on the shoulder.

He greeted him and followed him inside the ball room without paying attention to you. You stood still, a wave of mixed feeling overcoming you. You clenched your fists and turned around to leave, clearly Loki didn’t want you around. Perhaps he thought he was too good for you, you focused on your anger to keep the tears from purring down your pretty face and started to get closer to the door when Frigga appeared out of nowhere.

“Y/n, dear. I wondered where you were.” She said taking your arm. “I saw Loki in the ball room, you don’t need to wait here.” She continued.

“I don’t feel really good. It’s better if I just leave.”

“Nonsense. Come on, dear.”

“No really.” You took your arm away. “Thank you for your kindness but-”

“But nothing, I understand, you are feeling nervous. So did I the first time I accompanied Odin to one of his ceremony.”

“I was not exactly _invited_ by Loki.”

“Oh there he is. Go and enjoy your night.”

You looked at Loki, he was taking to a group of people. When Frigga was far enough, you turned around to leave, your dress moved as you turned around which grabbed the attention of some men in the room. You were almost to the doors when Fandral caught your arm.

“Running away, Cinderella? I heard about you. You’re in charge of Thor and Sif’s wedding.”

“I am.”

“So, we’ll meet again then.” He winked.

“Probably.” You said without trying to flirt with him at all.

A shadow appeared behind Fandral, it was a menacing figure that moved slowly from behind a pillar.

“Go away, Fandral.” Loki said stepping closer to you.

“You’re kind of interrupting something here, Loki.”

“Go.” He barked at Fandral who jumped at the sudden raise of voice. He apologised to you and turned around to leave. “Was he bothering you?” Loki asked keeping his distance.

“Why would you care?” You spat before turning away. You scuttled down the corridor when you heard him calling your name.

“Don’t go!” He caught up with you quite fast thanks to his long legs and your inability to run with high heels.

“Seriously Loki what is wrong with you?” You turned around to look at his face. “I gave you a second chance, I almost lost my best friend because I believed you could be a decent man. I stood for you when everyone else said you were a brute. And now I’m not good enough for you? Give me a break!” You kept your voice low.

He kept his mouth shut and looked around.

“Here.” He said after a while, pushing you inside a room. The room led to another corridor, he played with the doorknobs until he found a door that was open. Reluctantly, you followed him.

“I’ve said everything I had to say.” You crossed your arms and stayed close to the door.

“I know. I’m sorry, I’m an idiot and I don’t deserve someone like you. I panicked, there’s… something I intended to do.” He pleaded. “Can’t do that now.” He mumbled to himself.

“No you can, because I’m leaving. I’m tired of all your apologies.” You turned and opened the door to leave. He moved forward and closed the door with the palm of his hand.

“Please, don’t. What should I do?” He pleaded keeping the door close.

You stood still, he felt so vulnerable and you were at the top of your game.

“Beg.” You said running your perfectly manicured nails on the wooden door.

He froze and looked at you like he misheard what you just said.

“Beg? Begging is not in my nature.”

“As you wish.” You played with the doorknob. “I bet Fandral will do what I tell him to do.”

“Wait!” Loki said in a hurry. He stayed silent for a long moment. You exhaled with force to show your exasperation. He raised his head and ran a hand in his perfectly combed hair. “I beg you, stay here with me.”

“You don’t get to say the word ‘beg’ in a sentence and expect me to think that’s the best you can do.” You said resting your back on the wooden door.

“Someone’s feeling cheeky tonight.”

You raised one of your legs up so that the silky dress slid elegantly on your bare legs. He watched it intensely, his breathing becoming heavier.

“You have no idea.” You chuckled. “Now, beg.”

He fell on his knees and held his hands together as if he was praying. “Please stay, I will do as you want. I will show you to the world.”

“Not good enough.” You said turning your eyes away from him. “I’m so disappointed.” You said changing the tone of your voice.

“I will do better.” He said closing his eyes trying to mask his embarrassment.

“No I don’t think you can. I’m going to have to punish you.”

Loki’s eyes shot open. “What kind of punishment?” He asked licking his lips.

“The kind you will not like. Not at all.” You said playing with your thin belt. “You will beg me to stop. And you’ll know what begging really is.” You pushed your heel on the door and heard a click. “Stand up.” You ordered.

He slowly lifted his body from the floor and stood still in front of you. You walked slowly making sure to roll your hips and move the bottom of your dress as you pass by him. You took a chair from the desk behind him and placed it next to him.

“Sit.” You ordered and he complied. You moved to stand in front of him, he tried to hold your waist to pull you close to him but you slapped his hands. “Did I say you could touch me?” He growled and placed his hands on his lap.

You played with his black bowtie and pulled on it with a swift move. It hanged around his neck loosely, so you took it in your hands and played with it. “If you can’t behave, I’ll tie your hands with it.” He nodded quickly. “Do think you can behave, or should I just tie you to the chair?”

“I will behave.” He said moving on the chair.

“I really hope so. One more thing, touch me and I’ll walk out of this room. Whatever happens, do not touch me.” You leaned and rested your knee between his parted legs. You moved closer very slowly to let him appreciate your cleavage and whispered in his ear. “If you touch me, you’ll be very frustrated.” You grabbed his hardening bulge with your hand and gave a quick squeeze making him gulp noisily. “Do you understand?”

He nodded helplessly as your fingers brushed lightly over his bulge.

“Use your words.”

“I understand.” He said in a hiss.

You sucked his earlobe grazing your teeth on it as you moved away from him. You stepped back still holding the undone bowtie in your hands.

“Unbuckle your belt.” You said looking at his hard bulge.

He unbuckled his belt and unzipped his fly in a heartbeat, fidgeting on chair. You moved your dress up your legs to keep it clean while you sat on your heels right in front of him. He parted his legs further and kept his hands above his head. You threw the bowtie next to you and moved his trousers and boxers down revealing his already hard cock.

You leaned and placed your hands on his thighs while you opened your mouth wide. You took his hard shaft in your mouth without touching him. He could feel your warm breath on him and looked at you with a pleaded gaze. You moved your head up and down and felt how much he wanted your mouth to close on his cock. You smiled and continued your torture. After a moment he was panting, he had to keep his hands on the arms of the chair. He resisted the urge to force you on his shaft and you could see his arms shaking.

“Good boy.” You said kissing the tip of his cock. He was oozing pre cum that now shined on your lips. You heard Loki wheeze in frustration and gave you a implored stare. You took his stiff member in your hand and heard him moaned in delight. You moved your hand up and down at a slow pace, he clenched his jaw as his hips buckled. You knew he needed more but you were not done with him.

You tutted when he tried to get more friction and stood up. He sighed heavily and threw his head back.

“I need-”

“Shut up.” You said placing a finger on your lips. “I don’t care. Whatever you need, I really don’t care.” You smirked.

With one of your hands you lifted your skirt until you exposed your bare clit. You started to fondle yourself, playing with your clit to increase the wetness building up between your tights. He looked at you with envy, licking his lips. You moaned loudly at the increasing pleasure and closed your eyes. You heard him move frenetically on his chair and opened your eyes to keep track of him. He had to tangle his legs around the feet of the chair, his nails were getting deeper into the wooden chair. Still rubbing your clit you inserted two fingers into your wet fold and pumped them fast. You placed your foot on the chair, between his parted legs to reach deeper.

You kept your eyes open and made sure to look at him. Your movements entranced him and you could see his cock twitching every time you moaned.

“Tie me.” He groaned on the chair. You were too lightheaded to process what he said but you saw how contracted his muscles were. His entire face was clenched, he tried with all his strength to stay still on the chair but he was about to jump on you.

You removed your fingers from your folds before you had the chance to come.

“Say ‘Ah’.” You said placing your wet fingers on his lips. He opened his mouth and sucked your wetness greedily. “You want to be tied now? It’s too late.” Your other hand played with his balls making him groaned as he ran his tongue on your fingers.

His cock was dangerously close to your beautiful gown, you grabbed his hard shaft harshly in your hand and ran your thumb on the tip of his cock. His eyes rolled in the back of his head, you noticed tears at the corner of his shiny eyes. “Don’t stain my dress.” You whispered in his ear and pulled your fingers out of his mouth. He nodded in a whimper as you planted a kiss down his neck. “My God, you’re tense. Can I do anything for you?” You grinned. His body started to shiver and he whined noisily unable to resist your torture.

You sat on your heels again and licked the tip of his cock. He made the most obscene noise and tried to thrust into your mouth. You opened your mouth and took him completely but this time you closed your lips around his large length.

“Oh… yes. Please suck.” He pleaded. You moved up and down very slowly and ran your tongue under his cock teasing him without mercy. Unable to contain himself, he pushed a hand on your head, messing your sophisticated hairdo. You pulled away from him and grabbed his throat with your hands.

“What did I say?” You hissed in his ear. “You can’t touch me.” You pressed your hands until you heard him gasp. His moans vibrated in his throat, which you could feel under your fingers. You released him and turned around. You were almost to the door when Loki screamed at you.

“Hey! Don’t go! I’ll behave.” You heard him stand up or more accurately, try to stand up. He fell on his knees and crawled towards you, his stiff cock still hanging out from his trousers. You turned around and appreciated your work.

“I told you. I was fair.” You said pressing your back against the door, your hand played with the doorknob. He stood up, shaking on his legs and pressed his hands on the door. His hands were at each side of your face, you could tell he was still trying not to touch you.

“I won’t do it again.” He said shaking violently. “But please, I need to be inside you. I’m going to faint, seriously, look at me. I deserve it! Please I want to touch you, to feel your skin under my touch. I want to release inside you, I need it as much as I need air. I swear on my life I will never wrong you ever again. Let me fuck you. I’ll do as you ask.”

“See, I knew you had it in you.” You kissed his lips quickly. “That’s good begging. Now I’ll wait for you in the hall while you take care of yourself.” You winked and left the room.

You grinned as you heard him cry out in frustration. You waited in the hall until a red-faced and messy Loki appeared.

“Feeling better?” You asked teasingly as you walked closer and tried to smooth his dishevelled hair. He caught your waist hastily and breathed into your ear.

“I will make you pay for this.”

“Any idea how?” You said playing with something behind your back.

“I will think about it. But I suggest you brace yourself, it will be nasty.”

“You’re all talk.” You teased kissing his neck.

He released you and took your hand, he started to move back towards the ball room.

“Hey, I think you forgot something.” You waved the undone bowtie before his face. He took it, his face blushed a bright shade of red.

When you walked into the ball room, Loki’s bowtie was on point. People gave you curious stares as you walked around hand in hand. He raised your hand and spun your around in his arms, you joined the other dancers in the room. He placed one hand on your back and held your hand as he swayed following the rhythm of the song. He pulled you closer to his chest and you started to mirror his movements. Your high heels shorten the height difference, you gently placed your head against his shoulder.

“Your face was so red.” You started to giggle against his black jacket.

He stopped for a second and you felt his body tighten. He danced a bit off tempo, making you giggle even more.

“Stop laughing.” He groaned. “People are looking at us.”

“So?” You said raising your head to look at his face.

His hand pressed on your back as he leaned forward and bent you closer to the floor. You head was almost touching the ground and the only thing keeping you from falling was Loki’s hands on your back and arm. He smirked keeping his face close and pecked your lips. People clapped as the band ended their piece. Back on your feet, you clapped too until Loki whispered in your ear.

“I still want you.” He wrapped his hands around you from behind. You pressed your ass against his bulge and heard his moan.

“Not again.” He said a bit too loud, turning you around.

“Sorry,” You laughed cupping his face in your hand. “To be honest, I really need you right now.”

Before he had the chance to reply, Thor placed a hand on his shoulder. The sight of Loki in apparent bliss made him smile.

“Loki.” Thor greeted his brother with uneasiness. “I’m glad to see you here.”

“Hmm, yes. If you don’t mind, I’d like to drink something.” He said to escape his brother.

You followed Loki remembering what he said earlier.

“What was the thing you intended to do before you knew I was at the party?”

“Oh,” He said remembering he had planned something dreadful for his father. “Nothing important.”

“And now ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Odin’s son, Loki.” A man screamed into a microphone catching the attention of everyone in the room. Loki turned around and sighed. He walked and took the mic from the man’s hands.

On stage, Loki gave a brilliant speech about Odin. He reminded everyone how kind and generous Odin was with all the people he allowed in his life. The speech was very moving but something was wrong, you could tell it was not what Loki intended to say. The words came with force and he kept pausing to find a proper way to express the feelings he never felt. When he was done, everyone clapped. You turned around to see Frigga sighed in relief.

“Let’s get out of here. I can’t stand these people.” Loki said taking your hand. You ran your thumb on his knuckle and planted a sincere kiss on his lips. He took his jacket and wrapped it around your bare shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I've also written the actual sex scene and it will be in the the next chapter. I thought this chapter was already long enough. It's more of a conclusion after all the teasing ;)


	11. The manor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3338 words. It starts with the conclusion of the last chapter so… smut. But after that it’s pretty much all fluff and cliffhangers :)

You were sitting in the car patiently waiting as the driver parked in front of your flat. You left the limousine and thanked the man for his service. It was new to you, but you made a point to stay nice and polite. Loki followed you into your flat, his hands pressed on your hips as he trailed kisses down your neck. Loki jumped on the bed getting rid of his clothes as you tried to slip out of the dress. The dress was so difficult to take off. You tried to get rid of it but you kept moving around in your bedroom, whining each time you were stuck. Loki laughed and moved closer while still on the bed. He tried to help you but you were completely stuck with the dress over your head. You couldn’t see anything and your arms started to hurt. You cursed yourself silently but it didn’t matter to Loki, he lifted the dress and started to kiss your naked body. You face still caught in the dress you screamed. You pulled away and stumbled into the bathroom where you finally managed to get rid of the dress.

“Oh fuck, that was not sexy at all.” You whined from the bathroom.

The door opened on a naked Loki, his hard member was desperate for attention.

“Come here.” He said softly as he took your hand. He pulled you closer, the sound of flesh smashing echoed in the small bathroom. He bent his head and claimed your lips in a passionate kiss. Walking backward you led him towards the bed until his knees hit the edge of the bed. He fell back onto it and held your body close, his tongue still battling with yours. You broke the kiss to sit on top of him and moved to place him at your entrance. You were still incredibly wet from the teasing and didn’t need any kind of foreplay. He looked to make sure he was not going to hurt you with his thrusts.

“I swear if you tease me again.” He said in a husky voice.

Without warning, you took a deep breath and pushed your hips down to take him completely. He groaned lustfully while you yelled in pleasure. You panted unable to catch your breath, this position filled you more than usual and you loved it.

“Ah! Ok if you… like playing games,… I know a few.” He cried out without breaking eye contact with you. You smirked as he looked at you with pride. You rolled your hips and watched as he threw his head back.

“You were saying?” You asked catching your breath and slowly moving up and down.

He waved his hand dismissing your boldness and laid back enjoying your movements. Each thrusts reached deeper into you and although you wanted to be comfortable, something was wrong. Pain started to spoil the pleasure but you didn’t say anything. By the look on Loki’s face, he was in absolute bliss, you just couldn’t take it away from him. You closed your eyes for a second as he opened his and examined your face.

“What’s wrong?” He asked out of breath, his hands caught your hips to stop your movements. You stayed silent, feeling completely stupid and exposed but he stroked your leg gently. “Is that painful?” He asked understanding how you felt by the look on your face. You nodded avoiding his eyes. He used his elbows to push himself into a sitting position, his legs were still stretched in front of him. He caught your waist and pulled you closer to his chest. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked feeling guilty.

You shrugged still avoiding his eyes. He kept your body on his lap and moved out of you.

“I know, try this way. We’ll both control the movements better.” You nodded and placed him at your entrance again, except this time, he was sitting down. He kissed you cheek while his hands moved on your hips. You tangled your arms around his neck and rolled your hips with caution.

This new position filled you as much as the other one but this time the pain faded. He was very careful and you could feel his heart beating incredibly fast. You moaned softly and heard Loki sigh in relief. He thrust in and out of you at a fast pace while you moved your hips in rhythm. He moved his hands on your back feeling your warm skin under his fingers and tangled his fingers in your hair, forcing you to look at him. He looked at you for a moment, your face twisted with pleasure as your orgasm slowly started to build. When he was sure you were not faking it, he kissed your lips and slammed his hips against your filling you completely. You gasped in the kiss and realised you needed more. You pushed your hands on his lean chest to make him lie onto the bed. He looked at you without understanding as you moved back in your original position. With a deep breath, you fucked yourself on his cock.

You were feeling amazing, moving up and down at a fast pace. Loki didn’t move at all, afraid that his thrusts would hurt you. You smiled feeling absolutely fine, your breasts were jiggling in rhythm with your thrusts.

“You’re ok?” He asked mesmerised by the sight before him.

“Move.” You managed to say rolling your hips on his hard shaft to catch your breath.

You raised your body and nodded. You pushed down as he thrust hard into you. You did this a few more times until your body seized in throbbing perfect pleasure and you started to shiver. He felt your walls clenched around him and thrust one last time before his own orgasm hit him. Your orgasm was so powerful that you didn’t notice his. Stars started to dance before your eyes while you wailed without restrains. You collapsed on top of him feeling his cock sliding out of you. He was still coming and whined quietly when the rest of his cum fell on his thigh. You reached behind you and helped him get a hold of his orgasm by moving your hand on his hard length. He sighed happily while his cum covered your hand. You took your hand and sucked on one of your fingers. Your movements and dedication fascinated Loki, you grinned making slurping noises as you took your fingers out of your mouth. He kissed the top of your head and wrapped his arms around your naked body.

You stood up before falling asleep and went to take a shower. You heard noises in the living room and wondered what Loki was doing. You wrapped a towel around your head and put the first thing you found in your wardrobe.

“Breakfast for dinner.” He said presenting the food he made in a theatrical way.

“I love it.” You replied biting in a piece of toast.

You ate together before going to bed. Somehow having him near you felt like the most natural thing in the world. His presence soothed you and next to his sleeping body, you felt perfectly well. The next morning you woke up and turned to see if Loki was awake but his side was empty and cold. You rolled out of the bed and looked for him in your flat but he was not there. You noticed that his jacket and car keys were also missing, you looked for your phone and tried to call him. You heard a muffed buzz coming from the kitchen, which meant that Loki forgot his phone. You took that as a good sign and waited. About thirty minutes later, Loki opened the front door holding coffees and a brown paper bag.

“Glad to see you’re awake. I thought I had worn you out.” He said with a smirk.

“You wish.” You replied taking a cup of coffee from his hands.

He went into the kitchen and placed the bag on the table. Your eyes grew wide at the sight of the food.

“Sorry your shop was closed I had to take it from some other place.” He said while he took a plate from the cupboard.

“It’s alright.” You laughed.

“Oh, you tried to call me.” He said looking at his phone. You nodded, unable to talk as your took another bite of that delicious muffin into your mouth. “Oh no.” He sighed still looking at his phone. He turned to watch what time it was and groaned.

“What is it?” You asked after you finished your bite.

“Frigga wants us at her brunch today.”

“Us?” You said furrowing your brows. “Can you not call her by her first name? It’s a bit weird.”

“I’m not calling her mum if that’s what you’re asking.” He said trying to figure out what to answer to his mother.

“I didn’t say that.” You replied. “What time is it? Are we going? Why does she want me there? Should I come with you?”

“Calm down.” He said placing his hands on your arms as you started to move around. “If we don’t go, she’s going to send a car. It’s better if we just go, eat a little something and leave. Her brunches are always crowded with dozens of people anyway.”

“Hmm, I’ll get dressed then.” You said standing up.

You went in your room and looked for something to wear. You couldn’t decide and started to throw different outfits across the room. Your room was chaos when Loki walked in.

“What the hell?” He laughed looking at you sitting in the middle of your room surrounded by your clothes.

“I don’t know what to wear. I don’t want to look stupid.”

“Honestly.” He said moving carefully among the dresses and skirts. “I couldn’t care less about what they think.”

“Well, ok then. Do you see anything you like?”

“Here, put this on.” He said holding one of your favourite dresses. You dismissed it because you thought it was too short for the event. “And don’t forget your coat this time. It’s snowing.”

You dressed up fast and stepped into the living room turning on yourself.

“Ta-da!”

“I don’t want to brag but I’m good at picking clothes. You look fantastic.” He stood up and whined.

“What’s going on?” You asked. He placed his hands on the sofa as he walked to get his jacket.

“It’s your fault.” He said trying to stretch his arms behind his back to make the pain disappear. “Your game, it took me all the stretch in the world to stay still on my chair.”

“Well, apparently it was not enough.” You said taking your coat from the coat-rack. “But I’m sorry, I saw how jumpy you were. I’m not going to lie, I liked it.”

He stood close to you and placed a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Normally, I would demand a compensation for the prejudice.” He said in a weird professional voice. He leaned to whisper in your ear. “But what I have in mind for you is far worse. You’ll hate yourself for loving it.”

You swallowed hard and noisily which made him snort. He kissed your neck and opened the door.

“Time to see the monsters.” He said holding your hand.

Loki drove for a long time until he reached an isolated part of the city. The propriety was accessible only to one or two cars, and after the man in front of the gates agreed to let Loki’s car in, you entered the gigantic gardens. The gardens led to a driveway that was surrounded by roses and lilacs, some of the roses were still blooming despite the cold snowy weather. _The strongest ones_ , you thought. At the end of the driveway, the manor stood like a reminder of Odin’s fortune and power. It was enormous, at least three different parts of the manor and a little lake next to a garage. Swans were hiding inside a cave they made out of leaves and mud. You opened the door and followed Loki, he waved at a man to open the front door.

Frigga was holding a vase and almost dropped it on the ground when she saw you two enter the manor.

“Loki, Y/n! I am so happy to see you!” She put the vase on a nearby console table and held you in her arms. She tried to do the same with Loki, but he stepped back. She stroked his arm with a soft smile.

“We were waiting for you. Sif and Thor slept here last night after the party. A nice intimate brunch with my family, I’m a happy woman.” She said turning on her heel.

“I thought you said there would be a lot of people.” You grimaced looking at Loki.

“Usually.” He replied. “I had no idea, sorry. If it’s any consolation, I don’t want to be here either.”

“Come in!” Odin screamed from the other room. “Are they going to stand on the threshold? I’m starving.” Loki rolled his eyes.

“Be nice. We do like we planned, eat, smile and leave.”

He nodded but he knew it would not be that easy. You both took your coats and joined them in the living room. What seemed to be one of the many living rooms was absolutely gigantic, there was a fireplace under a large mirror and a table that took half of the room, if not more. Two wing chairs were placed in front of the fireplace and a bay window led to the balcony. Odin sat at the end of the table, as the head of the family, Frigga and Thor sat next to him. Sif was sitting next to Thor, and judging by the blue and red napkins left on the table, you had to sit next to Sif while Loki would sit next to his mother. You took your place and greeted them politely.

The brunch was rather quiet, Odin monopolised the conversation and told everyone stories from his best deals. Even if they heard these stories about a million times, Thor and Frigga played along and listened to him with mild interest. Loki kept rolling his eyes while Sif smiled politely. At the end of the brunch, Odin sat in his wing chair and smoked a cigar while he talked with Thor. Sif and Frigga left the room while the house cleaners cleared the table.

“I think we can leave now.” He said quietly. You nodded and stood up which caught Odin’s attention.

“Loki, we need to talk.” He simply said looking at his youngest son.

“I have nothing to say.” He replied dryly.

“But I do.” Odin added opening a door to go in another room. Reluctantly, Loki followed him and closed the door. You were standing in front of the table when Sif appeared behind you.

“Come with me, you have to see this.” She said with a big smile.

You followed her and entered a room with a bed and a wardrobe. Frigga was sitting on the bed, holding photos in her hands. You sat next to her to see the pictures. It was the picture of two young boys, indisputably Thor and Loki. They were around six or seven. The pictures portrayed them wearing towels tied around their necks and they were both wearing briefs.

“They were pretending to be superheroes.” Frigga smiled. “I think Thor was pretending to be a villain and Loki had to catch him.” Sif chuckled and you could tell what she was thinking.

You spend a really long time looking at all the pictures, you laughed and appreciated the stories Frigga told you. It was nice to see more of Loki and to see what he looked like as a baby. Time passed incredibly fast and when Thor opened the door it was already dark outside.

“So that’s where you were hiding.” He said when he finally found Sif. “Oh no mother not the pictures again.”

“Why not! Look how cute you were.” She said waving a photo of him under his nose.

He winced but quickly smiled looking at one of the photos on the bed spread.

“Remember when we could do whatever we wanted with Loki.” He said pointing at the picture of a five-year-old Loki completely naked and wearing a bra on his head with a big smile. Thor was in the background laughing hysterically. “Good old times” He said with a sad smile.

You left the room with everyone else and looked for Loki. You found him near the front door and hugged him from behind.

“Hey, I missed you.” You said as he turned around. His eyes were red and you understood that he had cried. “What happened?” You asked with worry.

“Never mind.” He dogged the question and grabbed his coat.

Frigga arrived in the hall and screamed at her youngest son.

“Don’t open the door.” Loki turned around without understanding. “There’s snow absolutely everywhere. Look!” She pointed at the bay window in the other room. The entire garden was covered with a tick white dust. You couldn’t tell where the sky began and where the garden ended. Loki closed his eyes and sighed.

“I suppose we’ll have to stay.”

“It is your house.” Frigga answered trying to hide the thrill in her voice.

Everyone gathered in one of the living rooms to look at the snow. You were all mesmerised like it was the first time you saw snow. When Frigga asked Loki to pick a room, he chose one that was incredibly far away from everyone else. When the room was ready, you sat on the king size bed waiting for Loki to say something. He sat in a chair near a window and looked at the scenery without seeing it. You decided to break his moment of contemplation by sitting on his lap.

“What’s wrong?” You asked snuggling into his arms.

“I talked with my father, I mean, Odin. According to him I should stay away from you before I break your heart.” He said weary.

“I wish people would stop telling us what to do.” You said after a minute. “We’re not five anymore. And that’s a good thing, because it would be really weird if you were still walking around naked with bras on your head.” You said with a laugh.

“No. No, no, no.” Loki said in horror. “You saw the photo?” You nodded with a smirk. “I thought I brunt all of them.”

“There was more than one?” You giggled as he groaned. You couldn’t help but laugh, he remained silent and eventually you stopped laughing.

“Y/n?” He said once you stopped giggling. “I need to tell you something.”

“Sure.”

“You know I have issues. I’m not exactly a good man. Actually I’m far from being a good man,” He was talking exceptionally fast, you had to focus to catch all the words. “But recently, I’ve tried to be a decent man. And I can’t promise you that I will always be nice and thoughtful.”

“Hm?” You said wondering what his point was.

“But I swear, I will always try my best. My family changed dramatically and I haven’t dealt with it the way I usually do.”

“Okay?”

“I would have break them apart without an ounce of guilt. And I was ready to do it, I had a whole plan but you… I was so afraid to lose you, I couldn’t do it. I’ve never cared for anyone the way I care for you. And I know we’ve seen each other for a short time but… When you feel something new, something different from all the sadness and deception, believe me you recognise it.”

“Loki, what are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say, with a lot of confusion and prattle, is that,” he paused and took a deep breath to say the words he never said before. “I'm in love with you.”


	12. The confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3025words. Mostly angst and fluff, I guess. Also there’s a rather long flashback at some point. Enjoy and merry Christmas :)

You were still processing the words Loki said to you but tried to find something to say.

“Loki-” You were cut by someone who knocked on the door.

You stood up from Loki’s lap and went to open the door, thankful for the interruption. You were not sure what to say, you loved spending time with him but you didn’t want to open your heat just yet. Clearly your relationship with Loki was a bit complex and you were afraid to let him know how much you cared about him. However, you knew you had to make up your mind quite fast, Loki already hit rock-bottom and you couldn’t avoid him forever. You heard him groan quietly when you stood up. When you opened the door, Thor and Sif were holding a pizza and a bottle of wine. You let them in and closed the door behind them.

“You must be starving, it’s almost nine.” Sif said as she opened the bottle of wine.

“It was not easy to find junk food. Our mother is into healthy food and she even forced our father to go on a diet.” Thor said taking a slice of pizza.

Loki was still sitting in the chair near the window, he stayed silent. You kneeled next to him and kissed his cheek.

“Come sit with us.”

He rubbed his eyes and stood up with a long sad sigh, Thor and Sif were sitting cross-legged on the carpet. Sif filled the cups with the red liquid and passed them to Thor who looked at the slice he took with extreme desire as if it was the first time he ate pizza. Loki sat next to Thor and you sat in front of him.

You spend a nice evening hearing about how Thor and Sif met and how Thor proposed. Loki was not really having a great time, his mind was a million miles away. Sif talked about the photos you looked at in the guest room and you laughed remembering some of them.

“Mother kept a photo of the fairy hunt.” Thor said hitting Loki’s shoulder. The sudden punch made Loki lose his balanced as he was not paying attention to the conversation. He caught the glass of wine before it hit the fuzzy carpet and groaned loudly.

“I thought they were all gone.” He hissed.

“Wait, what’s the fairy hunt?” You asked biting your lips, expecting a juicy story. Thor laughed still looking at his brother and turned to you. Sif also looked interested.

“When we were younger.” Thor started his story. “I used to give him hell.” He continued pointing at Loki who sulked. “And sometimes when he was getting on my nerves, I told him that I could fly because I was a friend of the fairies that lived in our garden. I told him that if he wanted to fly too, he had to ask the fairies. But they were very delicate and shy creatures and they only appear under certain conditions.”

“Okay good, stop now they got it.” Loki crawled to shut Thor’s mouth with his hand. Thor laughed and kept talking even though his brother was trying to press a hand on his mouth.

“I told him he had to walk naked with mum’s bra on his head.” He said between laughs and groans. “He also had to sing! Oh my God, what was it?”

“Shut up now!” Loki screamed and pressed a hand on Thor’s mouth as they both fell on the ground.

Sif chocked on her wine and you were laughing so much you almost fell backwards. Thor hummed a song under Loki’s palm and Loki’s eyes shot wide open.

“Don’t.” He said looking at Thor in the eyes. Suddenly a smirk replaced his alarmed features. “I also have stories about you.” He said still looking at Thor. Thor’s eyes went big and he shook his head in terror. “Ladies,” Loki continued as he sat back. “When Thor was about seven, he had troubles focusing in class so he used to see a hypnotist. During their first session, Thor had to do a headstand and move his legs while his head was still pressed on the floor. Then he showed him this dance that would supposedly help him focus. So in the middle of a class, he had to stand up and do this ridiculous little dance.” He turned to look at his brother who was mortified. Sif was on the floor crying with laughter. “I’ll sing if you do the dance.” Loki added with a grin.

“Fair enough.” Thor surrendered waving his stained white napkin. You and Sif whined expecting the brothers to perform. “No, we’re even. I’ll ask your mum for some embarrassing stories.” Thor said to Sif who was still laughing.

“I was a model of perfection.” She said trying to stand up. “Seriously, don’t.” She said more serious.

The rest of the evening made you feel better, Loki was laughing with everyone else and it was a nice change. At the end of the night, you stood up and cleaned a bit before Thor and Sif left to join their room. Thor even risked hugging Loki who remained stiff but at least he did not push him away. When the couple left, you were alone in the room with Loki. Suddenly the atmosphere changed, the tension was palpable.

“So…” You chanced. “Do you want to talk about…?” You added referring to the conversation you had before Thor and Sif arrived.

“What is there to talk about? I told you I loved you and you didn’t.” He said sitting back in front of the window. He had a serious face but you couldn’t say what he was thinking. Part of you thought he was upset that you didn’t reciprocate but you knew there was something else.

“Loki-”

“I don’t want to talk.”

“Are you at least coming to bed?” You asked moving the bedspread.

“Later.” He replied without looking at you.

You took your dress off, threw it on the ground and slipped under the sheets trying to fall asleep. The next morning, you woke up and turned around to look at the place next to you but it was empty. Judging by the covers, Loki did not sleep in the bed at all last night. But he did add a blanket on you during the night. You dressed quickly and tried to look for him. You couldn’t tell if the house was empty or not but it was really quiet. You got lost and arrived in the garage where you found out that Odin and Frigga were already gone.

You took the stairs and prayed to find someone. The stairs led to the kitchen where the cooks were busy chopping carrots and leek for lunch. One of the cooks informed you that breakfast was already displayed on the table and told you how to find the living room. In the living room you found Loki sitting contemplatively in front of a cup of coffee.

“We can leave after breakfast. I’ll drop you at your shop.” He said taking the cup to his lips.

“You don’t have to, it’s my day off.”

“At your flat then.” He added without looking at you.

You sat next to him and placed your hand on his, he stood up quickly and left the room. You were not hungry at all and followed him back in the room.

“Loki, please.” You pleaded.

He turned around, his eyes were red from the lack of sleep and stubble started to appear on his chin and cheeks. He was facing you but his eyes avoided yours. You closed the few steps and took his arms.

“I let you talk, so now let me express my feelings.”

He pondered your request, nodded and sat on the bed.

“I love spending time with you and your family. I love the stories you shared with me and I want to spend more time with you. That’s beyond dispute.” You sat on the bed next to him and took his hand. “I love you.” You said softly.

The room went silent, you waited for his reaction but he remained stone-faced. After a long moment, he inhaled deeply.

“You don’t have to say it.”

“I know. I thought I needed more time but when you love someone, it’s a pretty obvious feeling. And I’m ready to tell you that I love you.”

He took your face in his hands. He was terrified by his feelings, he never felt this for anyone. And Loki being Loki, he thought of all the things that could go wrong. He knew his feelings were genuine but everyone else doubt them. He remembered the conversation with his father from the day before.

*

Loki followed his father into a room next to the living room and left you alone with Thor. Seconds later, Sif would come to find you.

“Loki, what are you doing with this poor girl?”

“I beg your pardon?” Loki said closing the door behind him.

“Is this your new way to torture me?” Odin said slamming his hand on the console table.

“This has nothing to do with you.” Loki replied crossing his arms.

“Please Loki, every single one of your decisions were made to torture me. Your entire life, all you did was getting back at me.”

“Not this time. And I don’t even see how my relationship could threaten you.”

“She’s a commoner!” Odin screamed. Loki turned his head hoping that you didn’t hear this. He didn’t know that you were already gone. “She makes cakes, so what? Do you think she’s a good match for you?”

“I couldn’t care less about that.”

“No of course, you never care about the welfare of the family. In this town, we need to be feared and respected. People need to be envying us and not think they can be one of us. How can you be sure she’s not with you just because of your family and our money and our influence? Her shop went from not bad to thriving in a couple of weeks. And that is my doing, not hers!”

“You’re absolutely bonkers.” Loki sighed exasperated.

“She’s using you! Wake up, why would she be with you?” Odin spat.

“It’s funny that you said that, I always wondered the same about mum. Why would a woman so kind and compassionate stay with a tosser like you?” Loki replied smugly sitting in a chair. He watched as Odin’s face turned red.

“What did you say?” He said raising his voice. You were already gone from the other room but none of them knew that.

“You are a wanker.” Loki said emphasising each words.

“Leave my house, immediately.” Odin screamed pointing at the door.

“My pleasure.” Loki said as he moved towards the door. When he looked for you, he was surprised to see Thor alone. “Where’s Y/n?”

“She followed Sif. I don’t know where they are.” Thor explained turning around as his father kept screaming from the other room. “What happened in there?”

Loki left without a reply and started to look for you around the house. Thor followed him hastily.

“What did he say to you again?” Thor asked as Loki opened every doors in the manor.

“I called him a tosser.”

“You did what?” Thor said in a nervous laugh.

They could hear Odin’s heavy footsteps coming their way.

“What are you still doing here? Stop searching my house. Get the fuck out!”

“Father!”

“Don’t get involved Thor. That is none of your concern.”

“It is if you throw my brother and his girlfriend out of the house.” Thor replied facing his father. Judging by the look on Odin’s face he was completely stunned.

“You thing I’m a wanker too?”

“You can be. See, I said it. So what? Should I find Sif and get out of here? Do you want to lose your sons before Christmas?”

Odin groaned knowing that his wife would go berserk if everyone left the house. He mumbled something to himself and turned to leave.

“I don’t want to see any of you two today. And you,” He pointed at Loki. “I pity the girl who will fell in love with you. Let her go if it’s not too late.”

Odin disappeared around the corner and his footsteps soon faded. Thor and Loki stood in the corridor for a moment before Thor said:

“Come we’ll find our girls.”

“Not now.” Loki said hiding his face from Thor as he went back to the living room. He wiped the tears that ran down his sharp cheekbones and opened the bar cabinet to pour liquor in a glass. “Want some?” He asked as his brother joined him. Thor nodded and watched as Loki took another glass. “Thank you, I never thought you would step up for me.”

“Are you kidding me?” Thor said taking the glass from his brother’s hand. “I’ve been doing it since I was five. That’s what brothers are for?” He sat in a chair next to the fireplace.

“If you say so.” Loki replied sitting in the other arm chair.

They sipped their drinks in silence until Thor decided to ask something that troubled him.

“I’ve seen you with Y/n at the party last night, you looked like you were having fun but then you disappeared. How is it going between you two?”

“I don’t know.” Loki said pensively. “What kind of a question is that? What do you want to know?” He asked on the defensive.

“I mean, are you fooling around or is it something else?”

Loki fidgeted in his seat, he never liked to talk about that with Thor. Thor was the nice athletic man loved by everyone and Loki was his annoying younger brother that Thor protected like he was made of glass. Most of the time, women would try to get in touch with Loki to gain Thor’s favour so Loki had a hard time finding someone who truly cared for him. Not that he desperately sought the affection of women, Loki always loved power more than anything. Love seemed to be secondary to him and although he did fell alone sometimes, it was easier to shut himself off.

However, after he stole the money from his father and was forced to dance to the tune of Odin, Loki found that once you stripped out of all the power you had, you feel very lonely. When he found someone who appeared to truly care for him or at least not run away from him, he got hooked.

“I’m not playing with her.” He replied simply. “Actually, I love her.” He looked at Thor expecting some smug comment or a snort but Thor supported his stare and nodded.

“I figured.” He said not surprised. Loki furrowed his brows so Thor continued. “The way you look at her, danced with her and just stand next to her… Honestly, I knew.”

“So why did you ask?”

“To see if you were ready to admit it.” He beamed.

Loki rolled his eyes and laughed. Thor joined him and for a moment, everything was good. But Loki remembered his father’s words and they were haunting him.

“I’m absolutely terrified.” He said bracing himself for what would follow.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be afraid. I’m sure she loves you back.”

“That’s precisely what I’m afraid of.” He quickly replied and inhaled deeply after he noticed how Thor looked at him. “It’s what Odin said, one day I’ll break her heart. I know I will, because I have this pathological need to destroy all the good things I have. And if she loves me… I don’t want to hurt her.” He confessed.

“Then don’t. It’s not fate, Loki. You decide what you want to be, don’t let father get in your head.” He tried to soothe his brother, happy that for once Loki was letting him in. “I won’t say you don’t have issues, because it would be a lie but it doesn’t have to rule your entire life.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re the heir of the company, no one ever lied about your parentage and you’re about to get married. I’d say your life is pretty much all shaped up.”

“Because I did. Father had been hard on me too, I’ve been working and learning about the company since I was born. He lied to me about our relationship, but it doesn’t matter. We grew up together, you are my brother. And when I found love and fought for it. Nothing fell from the sky, I worked hard.” Thor said making sure his brother understood that he was not the only one with problems.

He let Loki ponder on what he said and stared at the fireplace. After a long moment, he stood up and punched his brother’s arm.

“Don’t run away. I’ll find the girls.”

*

“Loki?” You asked a bit concerned as he spaced out still looking at you for a good five minutes. Your face was still inches from his, his hands cupping your face lovingly.

“Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.” He leaned and kissed you passionately. You kissed him back happy that he stopped sulking. “I will take a shower and then I’ll drive you back.” He said standing up while his hand reached behind him to grab his shirt.

“Are you sure you don’t want company in there?” You smirked.

He bent down making you fall on the bed, your elbows kept you from laying on your back.

“I haven’t forgotten, the next time I’ll touch you, you’ll be very sorry you played games with me. Payback is coming, love.” He said moving closer, you stroke his bare chest and played kisses on his collarbone. His voice was back to normal, a deep smooth voice that made your heart beat faster. You smiled as your hands caressed his skin. “No one will ever hurt you. I will make sure of that.” He said kissing the top of your head. “Not even me.” He added in a whisper that you couldn’t hear.


	13. The heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3686 words. Wow guys I’m sooooooo sorry, seriously, I have no idea how this chapter ended up so…gloomy. I feel so bad about this chapter, and you can call me a monster. But it’s not always what it seems. I mean it’s Christmas and stuff but yeah, trigger warning for blood and angst and sadness. Okay I’ll stop rambling, read it.

Weeks later, it was Christmas Eve and you were getting ready for a dinner with Loki and his family. You packed a bag with a few clothes for the next day. You were supposed to go to your parents’ house and present Loki to the whole family. You paced your flat one last time and looked around to see if you haven’t forgotten anything. This year Christmas holidays couldn’t be more nerve-wracking. You heard a knock on the door and quickly gathered your bags. You left your flat to see a very absent-minded Loki waiting in the corridor. He didn’t seem to notice when you joined him.

“Earth to Loki. Can we leave?” You said patting his arm. His eyes opened wide as you interrupted his daydream.

“You look ravishing.” He said taking your bags out of your hands. “What are you carrying with you? It’s heavy.”

“Christmas gifts for your family and mine.”

“And none for me?”

“I have a special present for you.” You said pressing your hands on his waist.

Loki kept his promise, the last time he touched you was the night of Odin’s party which was weeks ago. At first you thought it was part of his game. You knew Loki wanted to make you pay for the sweet torture and the first week it was pretty funny. He trailed kisses along your jawline or moved his hands on your thighs and waited for your reaction. And you were playing along too. But after a week or two, his kisses were hesitant and he became more distant. It was evident that the game had ended. You knew something was wrong, he was spending a lot of time alone. When you asked him to join you somewhere, he always had a good excuse, most of the time it was work related. Unfortunately for him, you knew it was all lies as Thor often told you his concerns about Loki’s behaviour at work. He would stay in his office and lock the door. When he attended the weekly meetings, his stare was blank. You wanted to cheer him up but he was so isolated that you felt incredibly useless. You planned your Christmas holidays and thought that a week with your parents away from all the drama would be good for you.

One night, you were watching a film with Loki. It was one of those rare occasions when he agreed to see you and yet, he was looking at the screen without really paying attention. Your phone rang and you stood up to answer, it was Frigga. She wanted to make sure you would be spending Christmas Eve with them. You remained silent for a while, looking at Loki on the sofa, you sighed. You told Frigga that you would be honoured to join them and hung up. The words ‘join them’ put Loki out of his trance, and after you explain that you would be spending Christmas Eve with his family instead of meeting him the day after to go to your parents’ house, he stormed out of the living room. When he came back he said he had something to do and left. Everything went so fast, you couldn’t do or say anything. He later apologised for his behaviour, which now felt like a routine.

“I don’t think we’ll have time for that.” He replied pecking your lips. This short kiss was the most intimate thing you did in over a month. You sighed to yourself and followed him.

When you arrived at the manor, Sif was waiting for you. She took your coat and threw it on some chair before she led you into the living room. Over the weeks, you developed a friendly relationship with the woman. She was a lieutenant in the British army and had to fight her way in but she was now the most respected member of her unity. She was impressive, she had the strength of ten men and the beauty of a goddess. Odin came from another room and patted your back, you turned around to greet him with a smile and he reciprocated. Frigga was not in the room but you could hear her talking to the cooks, she was letting them go early so that they could spend the evening with their families.

Loki and Thor were in the hall. Loki took your coat from the chair and put it carefully on the coat rack.

“Women, uh?” Thor said with a smile as he watched you and Sif in a middle of what seemed like a very funny story. Loki didn’t reply and took the stairs.

“Y/n!” Frigga screamed when she saw you. You stood up to allow her into your arms and noticed that Loki was missing. You sort of expected it but you still wondered what troubled him. “Where’s my son?” She said looking around the living room, she frowned when she couldn’t find him.

“He needed to use the restroom. The drive wore him out.” You lied, trying to find an excuse. They were quite used to Loki’s moods and tantrums and paid little attention to his disappearance.

Time passed and Loki was still missing, you went to look for him but ended up getting lost. You found the room you shared weeks ago and found him sitting in the chair near the window. You had a strange feeling of déjà vu as you stepped closer to him.

“You chose this room? I understand why.” You said sitting on the bed. He turned around surprised to find you there. You were not smiling, you were done trying to make him feel better. He stood up, quickly put something in his trousers pocket and sat next to you.

“As you wish.” He said stroking your knee.

“What is it?” You asked pointing at the thing he pocketed.

“That,” He said with a smile as he tapped his pocket. “Is the solution to all our problems.”

“Oh, so we have problems?”

“Yes,” His voice was low and he looked at his feet. He stood up and took your hand forcing you on your feet too. You stood on your tiptoes inches from his face as his arms were wrapped around your waist. “I haven’t forgotten, love. You will still be punished for the torture and I know how much you want it.”

“I’d rather understand why you are so distant with me.” You said in a stern voice. It was difficult for you to keep a serious and austere look when he was finally smiling and touching you.

“Work.” He said with a small sorry smile that you knew was fake. “I have a lot of work and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course.” You said as he kissed your lips.

“Work won’t be a problem anymore.” He said letting you go.

You left the room and went back to the living room with Loki.

“Oh there you are!” Frigga said taking her son in her arms. He winced as she hugged him and raised a hand to greet the rest of them.

The family drank happily as they remembered the year that went by.

“A toast!” Odin said before he realised his glass was empty. He stood up and took the bottle of champagne to fill the glasses. In the process, he spilled the canapés on the floor, there was a bit of confusion as everyone tried to pick them up from the floor. When the canapés were back on the plate, Odin raised his glass.

“To my family, my wife and my two sons.” You glanced at Loki who rolled his eyes and drank his glass of champagne down in one. “To my soon daughter-in-law.” He said looking at Sif. “And our newly arrival.” He finished, looking at you with a smile. You smiled back happy that he welcomed you into his family.

Everyone drank from their glass and continued their conversation. Loki kept looking at his father with a smug smile on his face. You were not paying attention until Odin stood up and started coughing. Everyone stopped talking and stood up to see what was wrong with him but Loki sat comfortably in his chair as if he was enjoying the view.

Finally and after Thor slapped his father on the back, Odin breathed normally. Sif and Thor sighed in relief while Frigga kissed her husband before asking for help in the kitchen. Sif followed her and you sat back, feeling your heart beat faster and looked at Loki. He was frowning and his teeth were playing with his bottom lip. You kept looking at him, he was lost in his thoughts and only came back to reality when a terrifying noise came from the kitchen. Sif screamed for help and the three men stood up faster than anything you had ever seen before. They rushed into the kitchen as you tried to follow them, the dreadful noise made your legs feel like cotton. The screams and shrieks of panic came to your ears like a muffled soft whisper. You had to grasp the wall as you made your way to the kitchen.

Leaning against the doorframe, you saw Sif and Odin bent in front of the body of Frigga. Thor was calling the emergency while Loki was sitting on the floor, his mouth agape. His legs were spread wide before him and he looked at his mother with round eyes, tears streamed down his perfectly shape cheekbones.

After he told the details to the paramedics, Thor hung up and threw the phone across the room. He then rushed to his mother’s side, she was choking on her saliva. Sif placed Frigga on her side so that she would not choke and that’s when you noticed the pink colour in her spit. She was bleeding, not much but still, there was something serious going on with her. Minutes later the paramedics rushed into the kitchen and stabilised Frigga before they took her to the nearest hospital. Loki seemed unable to speak but as everyone left the kitchen to jump in their car, he let out a horrific wail that echoed in the whole manor. Odin jumped in the ambulance with his wife while Sif followed the ambulance with a panicked Thor on the passenger seat.

Loki stood up and ran to his car. You sat on the passenger seat and closed your eyes, you couldn’t believe what just happened. In fact, you didn’t quite understand what happened to her, she just collapsed on the kitchen floor. Loki drove as fast as he could and almost crashed into another car. He didn’t care for the red lights and kept honking until you arrived at the hospital.

He left his car without locking the doors. He was not even parked, he just left his car on an embankment. He ran inside the hospital he visited when you fell down his stairs. You tried to follow him but his long legs made it hard for you to keep up. The whole situation was so crazy, so blurred and unreal that you thought you were dreaming. But of course you were not.

When you entered the hospital, you knew exactly where to go as you only has to follow the voice of Loki who shouted at the nurses. Sif and Thor arrived moments later, entering from the door reserved to the emergency unit. You took Loki’s arm and made him follow you. You entered a long corridor with light blue and white walls.

“They are taking care of her.” Sif said trying to hold Thor who sat on the floor unable to stand on his legs.

Loki paced the corridor like a maniac, he held his head in his hands and groaned. He was getting more agitated so you took him out of the corridor to take some fresh air.

Outside in the cold weather, you both shivered as you forgot your coats. He ran his hands on his face, his eyes were red and slightly puffy. You were not crying, everything seemed too unreal. He collapsed in your arms and you stroke his back gently, making circles to soothe him. After a while he calmed down and held you closer, his body still quivered from the crying. You went back inside and waited as Loki went to the restroom to clean his face. When he came back, the only evidence that he had cry was his reddish eyes and his quivering chin.

He sat in one of the chairs of the waiting room. You were the only two people, except for the nurses and doctors who passed by.

“It’s my fault.” He said to himself.

“No it’s not.” You moved your hand on his back but he stood up and crossed his arms.

“She was not supposed to drink that.”

“Drink what?” You asked. The mysterious object in his pocket, the sufficient smile he had when Odin started to choke and the worried eyes he had when Odin felt better… You closed your eyes, afraid to understand what happened. “Did you poison her?” You asked in a murmur. The words made him weak and he fell to his knees.

“It was not supposed to be her. But that stupid fool spilled the food and he probably mixed the glasses.”

“Loki!” You shrieked, tears started to run down your face. He stood up the best he could and ran away in the cold and dark night. You sat still, part of you didn’t want to follow him. After a moment, you pulled yourself together and looked for Thor and Sif. They were still sitting on the spotless floor and turned when you entered. Thor raised his brows when he noticed that Loki wasn’t with you.

“He’s outside. He needs to be alone.” You explained quickly, it was not difficult to understand what Thor was thinking. Thor stood up and went in search of his brother. You sat next to Sif and waited.

Odin appeared from a room, he looked weary but not broken. It gave you hope that Frigga was still alive. You both stood up as Odin came closer.

“She’s alive.” He said the reassuring words and you almost bust in screams of joy. Sif took your hand and squeezed it hard, she had the biggest smile on her face.

“What happened?” She asked.

“She’s in room 107. The doctors said we could spend a minute or two. I’ll explain once I’ll find my sons.” Odin said and then thanked you as you told him where to look for them.

You joined Sif in room 107 and sat on a tiny chair in front of Frigga’s bed. She looked peaceful, the sheets were covering her up to her neck and her face gained colour.

“What happened in the kitchen?” You asked Sif.

“She said she had a funny sensation in her stomach. I asked if she wanted something for the pain but she said it wasn’t pain. She grabbed her belly and fell on the kitchen island before she hit the ground. She started to convulse.” Her voice broke and she couldn’t speak anymore, you stood up and held her in your arms.

You shivered, you had no idea what the poison was supposed to do but it sounded like it could have this effect. Odin entered the room with Thor and Loki who avoided your eyes with great care. Thor went to his mother’s side and stroked her forehead before he placed a kiss like a mother would do. Loki kept his distance and remained close to the door, he glanced at his mother to make sure she was still alive and turned away.

“Frigga felt sick.” Odin started which caught the attention of everyone in the room. “When you found out about…” Odin continued looking at Loki but couldn’t finish his sentence. “She tried to stay the same but… she was worried and terrified. Our family was falling into pieces and you saw her as a monster when the fault was mine and mine alone.”

Loki bent his head, looking at his feet like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

“A couple of weeks ago, the doctors found out she had an ulcer. She tried to calm her anxieties but…” Odin continued and Loki fidgeted. “The doctor said that they could not foresee a burst. Now she needs calm and peacefulness. She needs her family.” He broke before he left the room unable to look at his wife. Thor joined his father to give him support and Sif followed. You were alone in the room with Loki and an unconscious Frigga.

Loki took a chair and placed it next to his mother’s bed. He held her hand and pressed his face into the mattress. You turned around to see where the others were but they disappeared so you just closed the door. You were so confused. The doctors were positive, Frigga was not poisoned, she almost died from an ulcer burst. Yet, you knew Loki poisoned one of the glass and each of you drank the champagne. What if the poison had a slow effect? He could have poisoned you or Thor or Sif.

You watched as his shoulders shuddered and decided to leave him alone. When you opened the door to leave, he turned around and left his mother’s hand to follow you down the corridor. Odin was walking towards you to go back to his wife. When Loki saw him, his face twisted and he pinned his father on the wall.

“It was supposed to be you.” He hissed as he tightened the grip on his father’s suit.

“Do you think you can foul me, Loki? Do you really think you can enter my home and threatened me?” Odin pushed Loki away from him and watched as Loki feel on the ground. You stood a few steps away from them. “Water. That’s what you poured in my glass, you idiot!” He looked down on Loki, asserting his position.

“How did you-”

“I expected it.” Odin squatted to look at him. “You and I, we’re the same. Power is all that matters.”

“No, you’re wrong. I-”

“You chose power and revenge over her.” He pointed at you but talked like you were not in the hall. “I warned you, didn’t I?” Odin spoke to his son with a shaky voice. “Look at her, look what you did to her! It’s Christmas for God’s sakes!” Loki turned his face to look at you. Silent tears ran down your cheeks as you avoided their eyes.

“Look what years of lies and secrets did to your mother. My lies, my secrets and look what it did to her.” Odin took Loki by his shoulders and shook him with force. “Don’t make the same mistakes!” He stood up and smoothed his suit. “We need to be united as a family. Don’t do it for me, do it for your mother. She loves and cares for you more than her life. You can’t let her down.”

Odin stood up and disappeared into Frigga’s room and you closed the few steps to sit down next to Loki. You placed a hand on his and put your head on his shoulder. You felt him relax next to you as he also placed his head on top of yours. You stood there for a long moment, the only thing disturbing the silence of the hall was your hitched breathing and his sighs. He kissed the top of your head and moved to stand on his feet, you imitated him and took his hand.

“Are you hungry?” He asked hesitantly.

“Not at all.” You answered, the knot in your stomach was still very much present. Or perhaps it was caused by the decision you just made. “Loki.” You gathered your courage. He turned to look at you, you had a feeling he knew what was coming for him. “I can’t go on like this. I’m sorry.” You tried your best to look at him the whole time but it was too hard. When his eyes watered, you had to look away.

“Don’t apologise. I am the only one to blame.” He said in a serious voice. The statement was true but it did shatter his heart. He knew it was pointless to argue, he blew his chances and the worst part was that now, he understood what his father meant. Nothing would be sufficient enough for him. His stomach dropped, he was not allowed to keep you around. Not after what happened. “Despite my behaviour, I love you. Never forget that.”

“I know. And I love you too. And I hope you’ll find what you are looking for but it isn’t the right time for us. You still have demons to battle and I can’t stand beside you while you poison my heart.”

The words were sharp and hurt you both as you spoke them. You turned around and tried to keep a normal walk when your body begged for mercy. You wanted to fall on the cold white floor but you managed to pass the swing doors and found the nearest chair. You sat and gathered your thoughts before leaving, you knew Loki wouldn’t follow you. Your words were meant to hurt him and he knew it would be senseless to win you back so soon. You joined Sif and Thor and told them that you would be leaving.

“What? Why?” They both uttered at the same time.

You didn’t want to pass for a heartless bitch who just broke up with a man who almost lost his mother but it was better than telling them the truth. Thor would never forgive his brother.

“You should all be together as a family.”

“But you are family, Y/n!” Thor exclaimed trying to make you stay.

“No I’m not. I hope your mother will be better soon. I truly hope so.”

You turned your back and left the hospital, crying silently for the woman who gave you so much and the man who changed your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry.


	14. The parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3946 words. Okay meet your parents! (They sound like Bridget Jones parents but never mind that.) Since I broke my own heart in the last chapter, the story will be longer now. I have the end in mind but since I happened to surprised myself with my own twists, I’ve decided to extend the story. I hope it will be for the best. A simple reminder that Y/bff is your best friend. Cheers!

You waited at the train station, dressed in a little dark purple dress and ankle strapped boots. You shivered in the cold weather, when you left the hospital you took your bags out of Loki’s car but your coat was still at the manor. You couldn’t care less about your coat, Christmas or the delayed train that you were still waiting. The platform was crowded but the dark night prevented them from seeing your tears.

You waited for an hour before the train finally arrived and took you to your parents’ house. It was almost eight in the morning when you boarded the train. You stuffed your bag under your seat and went to the train’s restroom to make yourself look less upset. You examined yourself in the mirror, your eyes were red, puffy and your nose was running like a faucet. Your makeup smudged making you look like a sad panda, you took a bit of toilet paper and removed the dark eyeliner and mascara from under your eyes. You gathered your hair and tied them the best you could.

When you went back to your seat with your tired face, swollen features and your fancy outfit, people gave you curious stares. You tried to ignore them as you sat back and looked sadly at the empty seat next to you. It was supposed to be Loki’s seat but since you broke up with him hours before the departure of the train, you knew it would not be filled.

A bit before noon, the loud voice of the operator woke you up and you left the train as fast as you could. You moved with your bag and found your parents waiting for you next to their car. You joined them, bracing yourself for the million questions that would follow.

“Merry Christmas!” You said as they opened their arms to greet you. You fell into the warm arms of your parents and stayed close for a moment.

“Merry Christmas, honey! Where is your friend?” You mum asked looking around at the crowd.

“Not here I’m afraid. His mother was taken to the hospital so I came here alone.” You half lied. Half lies were your own speciality, the truth with a soupçon of fiction. You didn’t want to tell them that your boyfriend believed he poisoned his mother instead of his father while she actually suffered from an ulcer burst caused by the many secrecies made by her husband. It felt too soap opera met Agatha Christie and you were sure your mother would be drinking your every words.

“Oh dear! I hope she’s all right.” Your mother said fastening her seat belt.

“Yeah, she had food poisoning.”

“Tis the season.” You father remarked as he started the car.

They drove until they reached a small house lost among many other houses. It was not your childhood house but it was rather nice. You left the car and went into the house, your parents had organised a party for Christmas with the entire family and a couple of neighbours and friends. You needed all your strength to deal with them.

“I’m going to take a nap, the night was rough.” You said going upstairs into a small guest room. You heard your parents agreeing and closed the door. You set the alarm on your phone to wake up at five thirty, you knew your mother would want help in the kitchen. You fell asleep quite fast.

When your alarm rang, you stretched your back and lifted your arms above your head until you heard a clack. Sleepily, you moved the covers and went downstairs.

“Ah sleeping beauty! Help me with these, would you?” Your mother said pointing at a bowl of beans. You washed your hands and helped her until it was time to set the tables. It was your father’s time to shine, he cut the paper tablecloth and placed it on the tables positioned at the centre of the living room.

You joked around with your father, while your mother was scolding you because the guests would arrive soon. You threw the tube of paper tablecloth on the floor while your father held his and placed his hand over his mouth.

“I am your father.”

“Nooooooo.” You screamed dramatically while you climbed up the stairs.

In your room you gathered your things and went to take a nice, long shower. You stood under the hot water and let it cascade down your face. Without anyone to distract your mind, images of Loki and the past few months appeared behind your closed eyes. You bit your lips to keep you from crying and shook your head quickly. You made yourself look good enough for the family, they would probably judge you more than Loki’s family but you loved them anyway. You bit back the urge to take your slippers and looked for your ankle boots.

Soon enough the house was filled with family members, everyone commented on your appearance since they haven’t seen you in a while. For some you looked pudgy while others kept coming with food, telling you to put some weight on. Typical. When someone knocked on the door, you rushed to get away from the guests. You opened the door and saw someone you did not expect.

“Hello!” Y/bff was standing in front of you, arms opened wide to take you in her arms. It was a week since you saw each other. Seeing her made you feel so much better and yet, you wondered if you could tell her the real story. She was not exactly Loki’s biggest fan and often warned you about him. Her family followed and your mums greeted each other with glee. “I hope we will not be like them when we’ll get older.” Y/bff said looking at her mother laughing with your mother.

You let her in and took her stuff. She looked around then back at you and seeing the look on your face, she understood something was wrong.

“Where is the scary kid?” She asked referring to Loki.

You paused, this was it. You avoided every single one of her questions when Loki was weird the previous weeks but now you had to make a choice. You could tell her everything and listen to her advice or embellish the reality and listen to half true advice.

“Not here.” You said deciding to tell her everything. You led her upstairs when your mother was not looking for you and took her to your room.

“I broke up with him.”

“Aw, why?” She said with a genuine sad face.

“I thought you’d be happy. You never particularly liked him.”

“True. I don’t like him but he makes you happy so I rolled with it. But not so happy apparently.” She replied sitting on the bed.

“He has issues-”

“No shit.” She cut off, laying on the bed. You cleared your voice to show your annoyance. “Sorry, keep going.”

“He found out his parents were not his biological parents. His _adopted_ father sort of received him as a bribe. And you can understand how pleased he was. He tried to kill his adopted father but his mother got sick and he thought he poisoned her by mistake. But actually the stress of these family secrets made her sick. Sick enough to end up rushing to the hospital last night.” When you said everything at loud, it sounded like you were filling her in on the last episode of Desperate Housewives or something.

“Wicked.” She gasped propping herself up on her elbows to sit on the bed. “Is it real, like the real thing?” You nodded and shrugged at the same time. “Well, I guess we all have our issues.” She said slapping her tights.

“Erm, what?” You could not believe what you just heard. Was she defending him after what you told her? To you, it seemed like a pretty good reason to break up.

“Come on. Look at everyone here, look at me. I’m the co-chef of a mildly successful bakery shop that pretty much depends on the moods of an old man who is about to marry his son. I have no boyfriend, the last man I was with howled like a wolf when he climaxed. And since I can’t pay my rent, I will have to move in a gross motel near the motorway.” She said crossing her legs on the bed. “It’s not really appealing. But if I say: I’m an associate in a bakery company that gained success after a great deal, that I’m so busy I can’t find the time to have a partner. And that I will move in a more accessible residence, it’s less frightening.”

“I had no idea, you were in so much trouble.” You said honestly shocked to hear about it. You used to be everything for each other. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t want to admit that my life is not what I imagined. It’s not easy. And yes, you can live a problem-free life, but you’d be bored to death.”

“So what? You think I should give him another chance?” You asked dumbfounded at her lack of reaction.

“I don’t know. It’s up to you.” She stood up from the bed.

“Y/n! Where are my little sausages? Y/n?” You heard your mother shout.

“Is she talking about us?” Y/bff laughed as you opened the door.

“No.” You laughed rushing downstairs to the kitchen. “In the fridge, mum.”

“Ah, where were you?” She said opening the fridge. “See, they're not here!”

“I was in my room, mum. Look in the green bowl.”

“Thank you. Have you said hello to the guests? Some just arrived.”

“I’ll go right now.”

You stepped into the living room where your father was talking with some family members when you noticed someone you really didn’t expect. A tall blond man with a lean body and a thousand eyes looking at him. He stood next to the mini quiches. Fandral looked dubious about the content of the quiches but mostly he looked weary, he kept searching his phone. You tried to hide but he saw you and looked as surprised to see you as you were to see him.

“Y/n.” He said coming closer to you. You were surprised he even remembered your name, you only met him once and it was weeks ago. “Have you heard about Frigga? Is Loki here?” He asked taking you a bit further away from the people in the room.

“Yes and no. We’re not together anymore. But don’t scream it around, I haven’t told my parents yet. Do you have any news about Frigga?”

“No, absolutely nothing. Sif told me she was stable but it was hours ago, I think her phone is dead. What are you doing here? Do you know the people at this party?”

“Yes, they’re my parents.” You said in a half smile. “You?”

“Not really, my parents live next door. I tagged along.”

“Okay, well since you’re here, tell me if you hear anything about Frigga.”

“Will do.” He said and was about to turn around. “What happened with Loki?”

“It’s complicated.”

“With him? Always.” He laughed returning to the mini quiches.

The rest of the evening was peaceful, you stayed with Y/bff and sang Christmas songs with the whole family. It was a bit childish but you liked it anyway. From time to time, you checked with Fandral to see if Frigga woke up but he had no idea. After a while you lost track of Y/bff but it didn’t really matter as your mother kept asking for food, drinks and various object that she believed only you could find. Nevertheless, it was a nice change from the drama and horror you lived the day before.

At the end of the night when almost everyone was gone, and that the remaining guests were requested by your mother to help clean the mess, you took the bin out. Outside you spotted Y/bff with Fandral, they looked pretty cute together, she was giving him her number. You stayed outside a bit longer when you heard your mother scream that the house was still a mess. You sat on the cold pavement and were soon followed by your father who was hiding as well.

“Hiding from your mother?” He asked sitting next to you.

“Hiding from your wife?” You replied with a grin.

“Touché. Tell me, what happened with that boyfriend of yours?”

“What? Dad, don’t!” You whined.

“I know you lied to us. So come on, spill the beans.”

“We broke up.” You said after a long pause. “I’m not sure if that was a good idea. It seemed like the most reasonable thing to do but I’ve talked about it with Y/bff and contrary to what I thought, she has a different opinion.”

“Very elusive. All right, so let me get my head around it. You broke up with him because of something he did, perhaps.” He recapitulated and you nodded. “But you have second thoughts. And in the great scheme of things, what he did could be regarded as… trivial?”

“Not trivial but… I mean you could understand his actions.”

“Um? A real enigma.” He said pensively, his mind searching for the solution. “I’m sorry, I can’t find the solution for you. But you did forget one thing, there’s nothing reasonable about falling in love.” He bumped his shoulder into yours.

“You don’t know. I may not be in love.”

“Clearly, he’s in your thoughts.” Your father said moving his hands around to show how obvious your feelings were. “Now what’s that awful thing he did? Forgot to take the bin out?”

“We’re not living together. And it’s a bit more upsetting.”

“You’re a woman now. Trust yourself, don’t think too much. You girls always think way too much.” Your father sighed as he pushed on his hands to stand up. “Come on, we can’t hide forever.”

You followed your father into the house and helped your mother clean up before you went to bed. You laid in your bed, unable to sleep when you reached for your mobile. Somehow, you hoped to see a message from Loki but nothing. Sif sent you a message at around midnight, saying that Frigga woke up. You answered quickly saying that you hoped that she’ll get better soon and sighed. Your phone biped so you took it back and read Sif answer.

_She’s much better. x_

_Glad to hear. Send her my regards._

_She’s asking for you. x_

_Me? Why?_

_She likes you. And so do I. U ok? x_

_Fine._

Seconds after you send your last text, Sif was calling you. You answered with an exasperated sigh.

“Not buying it. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Sif, seriously.” You said very quietly as the walls were paper thin. You paused slightly and dared to ask. “How’s Loki? And Thor?” You added quickly.

“Thor’s better now that she woke up. Loki, he’s… fine, I guess.”

“Fine?”

“Yeah, as fine as you are.” She said in a mocking tone. “Please come back, I liked having another girl around. Where are you?”

“Can’t, I’m spending the week with my parents. Met Fandral, his parents live next to mine.”

“Seriously? It’s a small world.” She laughed. “Well at least I know where to find you.”

“Mh sure, listen I…I don’t know, perhaps I’ve made a huge mistake but I don’t know. What do you think?” You babbled.

“Me? Oh, um, I think he had good sides. He’s ruled by his emotions,… yes emotions… tss sto… argh…”

“Sif?”

“Sorry, it’s my cat. A bit annoying right now! Anyway, follow your heart.”

“Great, it’s the third time I’ve received this advice.”

“Well, it’s…” She sighed. “It’s probably the right thing to do.. no… argh, get...” Again she fought with her cat or something. “Take care, Y/n. I’ll call you soon.” And she hung up

“Yeah that or you all just don’t care.” You said reflecting on the easiest, most idiotic advice in the world. Follow your heart. How are you supposed to know where your heart is going? Technically speaking, it’s not going anywhere. You turned around in your bed and screamed into the pillow. And when the relationship is toxic, what other choice do you have? How can you tell when a relationship is toxic? Was that the case with yours? He never tried to harm you. If something was toxic, it was his family not your relationship.

*

Hours after you left, Loki was sitting with Sif and Thor on the very uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room. His father was the only one allowed to stay with Frigga since the woman was still feeble. He sat there with his legs wide opened and his arms folded on his chest. He glanced around at the nurses and doctors. Thor and Sif were half asleep, Sif feet were on the chair, an advantage she had over the two tall brothers, and her head rested on Thor's massive shoulder. He covered her with his jacket. Thor sat, legs as spread as his brother but his eyes were closed, though he was not sleeping. Loki looked at his watch, it said eight o’clock. He sighed as he was supposed to be on the train by now, meeting your parents but the event was cut short.

Odin walked into the waiting room and told them to go back home and have some rest. He didn’t ask about your disappearance, he knew you would not stay after what happened in the corridor. Thor and Sif went back to the house while Loki stayed at the hospital. His father told him there was nothing he could do but Loki had nowhere else to go.

At the end of the day, they were all in Frigga’s room as the lady opened her eyes and tried to say a few words.

“Don’t talk, It’s okay we’re all here. Look!” Thor said as Loki held his mother’s hand. She tried to hold his, but she was still too weak. She gave Loki a curious stare when she noticed you were missing.

“She’s home. She’s fine.” Loki said to reassure his mother as he understood what troubled her.

“I want to see her.” She said with a small voice.

“She’s on her way.” He said knowing that the sleeping pills would soon work on her.

“You should let her sleep. She’ll be more responsive tomorrow.” The nurse said asking them to leave.

Odin had a camp bed ready next to her medical bed, the staff had some in their room for such occasions. He kissed Thor and Sif before he turned to Loki. The two men kissed goodnight knowing that Frigga was watching them.

Outside the hospital, Loki wasn’t surprised when he found that his car had been taken away. He stood next to the embankment scratching his head wondering if he could find a taxi at this hour. Thor and Sif stopped the car next to him and he agreed to join them for the night.

Back in Thor and Sif’s house, in a classy but popular part of London, they sat around the table and ate their dish silently.

“What happened between you and Y/n?” Sif asked after a while. Thor fidgeted in his seat, she promised to leave Loki alone with that, but the young woman was curious.

“I doubt it’s any of your business.” Loki answered, his eyes were glues to his plate and he played with his fork. He scattered his carrots and meat in his plate, he was not hungry.

She sighed and gave Thor a look that meant ‘go on, ask him’. Thor rolled his eyes before he supported his fiancée.

“She seemed a bit upset.” He said stating the obvious. It was Sif’s turn to roll her eyes.

“The situation was quite distressing.” Loki pointed out, his eyes still pasted to his plate.

Sif and Thor argued in complete silence, moving their hands in frantic gestures so that they could understand each other. However it was not very effective. Loki sighed and stood up.

“I’ll stay here tonight, if you don’t mind. Tomorrow, I’ll need a ride to get my car back.” Loki said, upset that he had to spend the night in his brother’s guest room.

“Well it is what we agreed upon.” Thor replied.

“Good night.” Sif said kicking Thor’s leg under the table.

When she was sure Loki was far away, she turned to Thor and gave him a slap on his colossal arm.

“Stop it! What did I do?” He said rubbing his arm as if a mosquito stung him.

“You know he never listens to me. He barely acknowledges my presence. You should have asked what happened between them.”

“As crazy as it may sound, I don’t want to mingle with my brother’s love life.”

“I thought you said you liked Y/n.” She said unplugging her mobile as it was fully charged.

“I do. But you know what happens when you try to set up two people together, it always blows at your face.” He said mimicking it with his hand. “What are you doing?” He asked when she was not commenting.

“Texting her.” She raised her head when she heard a sigh. “I’m answering her, that’s all.”

“What is she saying?”

“Oh now you want to know.” She laughed and pressed the button to call you. “Not buying it. How are you?” She said sitting back in front of Thor.

“I’m fine, Sif, seriously. How’s Loki? And Thor?” You said quickly at the other end of the phone.

“Thor’s better now that she woke up. Loki, he’s… fine, I guess.” She shrugged looking at Thor who nodded.

“Fine?”

“Yeah, as fine as you are.” She said in a snort. “Please come back, I liked having another girl around. Where are you?”

“Can’t, I’m spending the week with my parents. Met Fandral, his parents live next to mine.”

“Seriously? It’s a small world.” She laughed and raised a hand as Thor poked her arm. “Well at least I know where to find you.” Thor gave her a questioning stare as he could not hear your answers.

“Mh sure, listen I…I don’t know, perhaps I’ve made a huge mistake but I don’t know. What do you think?” You asked, unaware that at the same moment Thor moved his chair and pressed his ear on the phone making it hard for Sif to remain focused on the conversation.

“Me? Oh, um, I think he had good sides. He’s ruled by his emotions,… yes emotions… tss sto… argh…” She said debating it silently with Thor.

“Sif?”

“Sorry, it’s my cat. A bit annoying right now!” She said loud enough to calm Thor’s agitation. He mouthed an apology and backed away from her. “Anyway, follow your heart.”

“Great, it’s the third time I’ve received this advice.”

“Well, it’s…” She sighed. “It’s probably the right thing to do.. no… argh, get...” Thor was pulling on her shirt unable to wait any longer. “Take care, Y/n. I’ll call you soon.” She ended the call. “Can’t you just wait?” She exhaled deeply.

“So?” He said with excitement.

“For someone who didn’t want to get involve in their business, you’re being really noisey. She’s wondering if breaking up with Loki was a good idea. In short, she has second thoughts.” Sif explained to Thor.

Thor heard her, but his eyes were focused on something behind her. She turned around to see what it was and met Loki’s eyes. He was standing in the middle of the room and by the look on his face, he heard everything.


	15. The photo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2720 words. I feel like this chapter is a bit flat but I wanted to conclude the story with the parents and stuff before the big event. So here you go. Enjoy!  
> PS: You guys are amazing, thank you for your kind words!

“Can you stop staring at me?” Loki said annoyed as Thor and Sif looked at him with round eyes.

“Did you hear what I said?” Sif asked playing his her mobile.

“I did.” Loki said taking his own phone from the table. Thor and Sif waited for him to say something else but he just turned around to leave.

“Wait! What are you going to do?” Thor asked.

“I’m going to sleep. And you should too, I don’t want to linger here tomorrow.” He said not even bothering to turn back. Sif sighed and looked at Thor with an exasperated look.

“See? And you thought he was different.” Sif whispered to her lover.

“Give him time. It must be difficult for him and he never really enjoyed sharing.” Thor stood up and took Sif’s hand. “Come one, let’s have some rest.”

The house soon became silent, not that its inhabitants slept much that night. Loki laid on a bed in a bright silver room, with the streetlights he felt like he was spending a night wrapped in tinfoil. He stood up and carefully, he opened the door to wander around the house.

Sif was not sleeping, how could she when her fiancé’s crazy brother was spending the night in the guest room? When she heard the guest room door opened, she sat on her bed. What was he doing? She moved the covers and walked to the door where she listened to his footsteps through the wooden door. She turned her to look at Thor, he was still asleep. She opened the door very carefully and tried to spy on Loki.

“You can’t sneak up on me.” Loki was leaning against the doorframe when Sif approached the kitchen.

“I… I was not following you. I just… needed… a glass of water.” She panicked and uttered the first thing that came to her mind.

“Please do.” He said with a smug smile, his hands were behind his back.

“Well, yes. After all, this is MY kitchen!” She replied with poise.

She moved to the sink where she took a glass and nonchalantly filled it. Loki remained by the door, he rolled his eyes and tapped his foot on the floor. His attitude started to exasperate Sif, he made her feel as if she was a stranger in her own house. Reluctantly, she passed by him to leave the kitchen. When she was gone, Loki sighed in relief and took the item he had been hiding behind his back: Sif’s phone. He tried to unlock it but he couldn’t find the right combination. The phone buzzed with each incorrect answer which made Loki hit on the screen with anger.

“If she sees you with her mobile, you’ll go down.” A sleepy Thor appeared behind him. He rubbed his eyes and pulled on the shirt he was wearing.

Loki sighed through clenched teeth, he thought he was the only one awake.

“If you tell me why you’re playing with her phone, I’ll unlock it.” Thor grinned as he opened the fridge.

“It’s none of your business.” Loki replied red with anger and embarrassment.

“Just like the content of that phone.” Thor replied with amusement.

The kitchen was dipped in an intense silence, Thor sat on a chair and waited for his brother to say something. Deep down he knew Loki would never reveal anything.

“It’s about Y/n?” He sighed.

Loki looked down, his hands were playing with Sif’s phone.

“Don’t.” He said without looking at Thor.

“Sorry? What did I do?” Thor asked in surprised.

“Don’t do the compassionate big brother speech. I’ve had enough.”

“I was not going to.”

Again silence prevailed in the kitchen.

“Fine, fine, yes it’s about Y/n. Now give me access to this!” He snapped throwing the phone to his brother.

Thor miraculously caught it before it hit the floor and unlocked it. He tossed it back to his brother with a frown. Loki read the text that you sent to Sif hoping that it would explain why you had second thoughts but the texts were pretty useless. Angry, he threw the phone violently on the console.

“Hey, careful with that!” Thor reached a hand as he helplessly watched the phone land on the console. “If you’re not happy about that, why don’t you just call her?”

“And to say what? I’m sorry I thought I poisoned my mother.” Loki said without thinking. When he realised his mistake he ran his hands on his face with a groan. Thor waited, he already knew the whole story, and so did Sif.

“That or something else.” Thor replied rubbing his eyes. Loki stopped mid-groan and looked at his brother with puzzled stare. “Yeah, corridors are not really discreet, brother.” Thor grimaced after he received a stunned glance from his brother. “I never thought you’d go that far.” His face suddenly turned grim. “If it were not for our mother, I-”

“Yes tell me, what would you do?” Loki replied his vision blurred by his tears. Thor remained silent, his brother betrayed him more times than he could remember but he always stood by his side. This time was different, what he did was beyond unacceptable and nothing could justify his actions.

“Loki, for crying out loud, you tried to kill our father!” Thor slammed his hand on the table.

“Your father! Not mine.”

“Then, in that case, Frigga is not your mother.”

“She’s not!”

“And yet you stood by her side all day.”

Loki’s legs could not support him any longer, he moved and sat on a chair next to Thor.

“I’m tired. I’ve had enough.” He rested his head against the table.

“I forgive you.” Thor said in a quiet voice.

“You do?” Loki slowly lifted his head to look at his brother, a frown marked his forehead. “Why?”

“Because someone has to be the bigger man. You and father are too similar. I bet he has the most dreadful punishment for you, and I bet mother will never know about it.” He answered honestly. “You have no one left. And believe me, with what father has in store for you, you’ll need all the love you can get.”

Thor shivered as he said those words but Loki was not afraid, he was his father’s punching bag for years, the news was not surprising. What amazed him, however, was Thor genuine concern for him.

“You should call Y/n.” Thor patted Loki’s back with awkwardness.

“She just got out of this mess. I can’t drag her back into it.”

“She might be missing it.”

*

New Year’s Eve was around the corner and you packed your bags ready to go back home. The last couple of days were tiresome. You wanted to relax and think about whether or not you could forgive Loki but everyone was getting on your nerves. Your parents were always on each other kissing and giggling and the rare times you left the house to see Y/bff, she was dragging Fandral along. You were excited to go back to your flat and stay there all alone.

You took your bag downstairs and sat with your father before it was time to go. Your mother opened the front door and screamed, she was holding a magazine and screamed ever louder when she found you.

“Look! Look!” She said pointing at the gossip magazine. “It came out today, and my baby is on page 4!” Almost immediately the landline rang, followed by your mobile.

You furrowed your brows as your mother left with the magazine. Why would you appear in such a boisterous magazine? You followed your mother and took the magazine from her hands. On page 4, like she said, there was a photo of you and Loki walking down the stairs of Odin’s Christmas party. His jacket was on your shoulders and you smiled, holding his hand tightly in yours. You closed your eyes remembering the night, you wanted to go back and stay there forever.

You opened your eyes again, not paying attention to your mother’s comments and read the title. ‘Who is that mysterious woman with Loki, second in line of Odin & sons?’ You rolled your eyes at the stupid headline and answered your phone.

“Yes?” You said carefully.

“Miss, I’m a reporter from-”

“Not interested!” You cut her off and hung up. As soon as you hung up, your phone started to ring again. You rejected the call and turned it off.

“I’m going to frame it, it will look nice here.” You heard your mother said.

You ran outside and closed the door behind you. You started to giggle until it turned into screams of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” You heard Y/bff asked as she left Fandral’s house.

“Nothing, I think I’m having a nervous breakdown.” You giggled ever louder.

“Are you okay?” She asked with concern.

“Great!” You tried to calm down.

“I’m going back. I hope you’ll be at the party tomorrow. It might be good for you, to be with people.”

“You mean to be with couples. No thanks, I’ve had my share.”

“I won’t let you spend New Year’s Eve alone, so you might as well come. You know I’m serious.”

“I know.” You said mindlessly as you turned back into the house.

“See you tomorrow!” She practically screamed.

Your mother was still on the phone, she felt like royalty and paced the room with a self-assured look on her face. You jumped in the car with your father after you said goodbye to your mother, who seemed extremely proud of you. When you arrived at the station, you took a deep breath.

“Take care of yourself.” Your father said kissing the top of your head. He looked worried and you couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I’ll get there.”

He nodded and watched you walk towards the platform, waving goodbye as you disappeared from his sight. Your mind was so full of guilt and shame and stupor that you sat down lethargically on a chair and looked right in front of you, without actually seeing anything. You forgot why you turned off your phone and turned it on. You saw at least ten messages from people you didn’t know and sighed.

You searched Loki’s number in your phone and looked at his picture, your forefinger was ready to press the button and call him but your mind was still hesitant. Soon the train arrived and brought you back to reality, you pocketed your phone and stepped into the train. You looked at the scenery without paying attention and a few hours later, you were sitting on your sofa weeping buckets.

Unable to stay at home, you left and took a stroll without paying much attention where you were going. After a while you realised you were walking towards your shop. You stopped in front of it and looked at the front window, the sign that said the shop was closed for the holidays was still hanging behind the door. You took a taxi and in a moment of bravery, you decided to visit Frigga at the hospital and let fate decide if you should meet Loki or not.

When you arrived, you looked around the waiting room but recognised no one. You pushed the swing doors trying to repress the urge to run away. You knocked on the door and after you heard a voice letting you in, you opened it. Frigga was alone in her room, she had her glasses on her nose and a book in her hands. She quickly tried to make herself look decent but invited you to sit down.

“I was wondering if you’d come to see me.” She said with a smile on her lips. There was something about that kind woman that made you feel like a little girl.

“I… Of course, after all you did for me.” You looked at your feet, trying to mask the embarrassment in your voice.

“Loki just left. He said you were at the manor, taking care of it.”

“I..oh…hum.” You mumbled not knowing what to say.

“I know you left him. Sif told me.” She kept smiling but her smile was forced and sad. “I understand.”

“I’m sorry, I-”

“You don’t have to apologise, my dear. Like I said, I understand.”

You sunk deeper into your chair, the air was filled with tension and unspoken words.

“In case you were as stubborn as my son.” She said at loud after a minute. “He is staying at the manor during our absence. God knows where he will go after that.” She said searching her mind. “It’s just in case you were too afraid to ask.” She smirked.

*

Odin sat at his desk, his eyes were looking at the opened door in front of him. He drummed his fingers on the ebony desk and groaned. He spent most of the day in his office, he couldn’t bear to see his wife when he was about to betray her trust again. He thought about ways to make Loki pay but he was clueless. He wanted to take away his home, but the young man did it on his own. He thought about taking away his last bit of freedom, but he couldn’t risk to lose his company and credibility. He believed he had the solution when he thought about you, but Loki already managed to cast you away. He sighed heavily, what could he take away from a man who already had nothing left to live?

He was lost in his thoughts when Loki turned at the corner and stopped at the threshold of Odin’s office. He cleared his throat to signal his presence. Odin’s eyes shifted as he was drawn back to earth.

“Sit.” He ordered to his youngest. Loki moved slowly and sat down, facing his father. “I’m afraid I couldn’t find a proper way to rebuke you. You tried to kill me, and despite what you might believe, I wasn’t expecting anything else from you.”

Loki sulked avoiding Odin’s eyes.

“You are not the son of Laufey. You are my son, I raised you. Everything you are, you are because of me. I can only blame myself for your poor judgement.”

Loki’s left foot tapped furiously on the carpeting, making soft noises that echoed in the office. He was trying his best to stay silent, to take the punches without making everything any worse, just like he promised Frigga.

“Believe me I considered every possibilities, but you lost everything. And that pleases me greatly. Your anger and stubbornness will always take away the things you love the most. I thought about taking away your house, your family, your friends, your love. When I realised you did an exceptional job of that on your own. I will keep you close, and I will watch you dive further in to your own misery.” Odin stood up and pulled on his jacket to smooth the ripples. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t help you from time to time.” He chuckled darkly as he bent over his desk, both hands resting on the dark and cold surface of the bureau. “Leave.”

Loki’s face turned ghostly pale as he stood up and tried to remain balanced on his feet. He moved towards his office and opened the door. His office was completely empty, his belongings were waiting in a box on the desk, a tiny key was put next to the box. He took the box and the key and made his way to the new small and smelly office that Odin set up for him.

While he made his way through the crowd of co-workers, who delighted themselves with the fall of the boss’s son, he tried to stand straight and confident, even when they started to mock him. In his new office, he had barely enough room to stand or sit at his desk.

He took a magazine from the box and tore the fourth page, then threw the magazine in the bin. He folded the page so that only the photo of him and you appeared. He tried to set his small desk the best he could and then when he was satisfied, he placed the photo so that he could gaze at it all day long.


	16. The balcony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2857 words. At last, it’s the reunion (sort of) Tell me what you think. Enjoy! :)

On New Year’s Eve, Loki woke up screaming and gasping for air. He sat on the bed of his disgusting tiny room and rubbed his eyes to make the images disappear. He was bathed in sweat when he tried to recover from his nightmare. Someone from the room next door banged on the wall, disturbed by the screams of the young man. He groaned and tried to calm his agitated heart by controlling his breathing.

He moved the covers and tried to get ready for work. His entire soul was fighting back the urge to punch everyone in the face. He promised his mother that he would keep an eye on the manor but after what happened with his father, he wanted to go back to a place that was his own. Sadly, the only place he felt at home was currently locked shut. He believed you were still away visiting your parents.

After work, he took a taxi to see his mother at the hospital where she was still resting. His car was still at the car pound, he failed to prove the car was his and now he had to make the best of his situation. He entered the room, only to find Thor and Sif by his mother’s side. Odin arrived behind him, a jug of water in his hand. He passed by Loki like he was not in the room and placed the carafe on the tray in front of Frigga.

Frigga had a book on her lap and her glasses rested on the tip of her nose making her look very studious. She reached out a hand for him when she noticed he was still by the door. With a sad smile, he approached and sat on a chair next to her bed.

Sif bumped Thor’s arm, signalling that it was time to go. Thor kissed his mother and left the room with his fiancée. Odin followed the couple, he was talking about a new business strategy with Thor. He paid no attention to Loki and even set him apart in an obvious way.

“Y/n was here yesterday.” Frigga said, taking her glasses off and paying with them in her small hands.

“I’m glad she visited you.” He replied trying to sound detached. Frigga sighed, her youngest was truly stubborn.

“Perhaps she hoped to see someone else.” She grinned tentatively.

“Mother…”

“All I’m saying is that the beginning of a new year is a perfect time to change.”

*

Sif and Thor were busy setting the tables and the food for their New Year’s Eve party. They were debating where to place the guests when the doorbell rang. Sif looked at her watched with a frown.

“They’re super early! I’m not even dressed!”

Thor laughed at the sudden outburst of his fiancée, placed a kiss on her cheek, and moved to open the door. He was surprised to find his brother standing in front of him, a black coat in his hands and a nervous look on his face.

“Loki?”

Sif tried to hunch over the table to look at the uninvited man.

“I… I know you’re busy but-”

“Come in!” Thor said excited that his brother was finally trying to make things right.

Sif gave Thor an icy stare and she received a scrolling look from him in return. Loki stepped into the house.

“I’m not staying, I came to return this.” He said referring to the coat. “It’s Y/n’s. You’re more likely to see her.”

“Yes, she’ll be here tonight. Why don’t you stay? Since you’re here.”

Sif cleared her throat loudly and moved from behind the table.

“I don’t think I’m welcome.” He said shifting his weight on his feet. “Just take this.” He said placing the coat in Thor’s arms. He turned and left the house, closing the door behind him.

“Sif!” Thor yelled as he threw the coat on a nearby chair.

“I said nothing!” She raised her hands in the air in a plea. “Don’t expect me to be all nice and forgiving with him. He’s not my brother.” She was tired of Thor’s unfathomable need to protect Loki like he was a small child. He made his own choices and it was not Thor’s duty to care, not after all the sordid things that happened.

“I won’t let my brother alone tonight! Take that how you like.” His voice was filled with anger as he stormed out to find Loki.

Outside in the dark streets, he looked around hoping it was not too late and saw a dark shadow turning at the corner of the street. He ran and easily caught up with Loki.

“Wait!” He panted slightly. Loki turned around stunned to see his brother and stood still. “Did you walk all the way here?”

“My car was taken away. I can’t have it back.”

“Stay with us. You haven’t walk all the way here to return a coat.” He watched as Loki moved anxiously.

“I don’t want to cause a scene.”

“Well, brother, that’s a first!” Thor laughed slapping his brother on the back with his large hand. Loki’s face twisted with a hint of anger but he remained calm and followed his brother back into the house.

During their conversation outside, some of the guests arrived much to Sif’s dismay. The party started rather late and you were one of the last guests to arrive. You had wrapped yourself in three big cardigans to stay warm since you couldn’t find your coat anywhere. You greeted everyone quickly and went in the guest room to take your layers of clothes off. You heard footsteps that made the wooden floor crack and turned around. Immediately, your stomach dropped and you found yourself out of breath.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Loki said as he approached you. He stopped between each steps to see if it was safe to move closer.

“You didn’t.” You replied, and it was the truth. There he was, in the flesh, after seeing him only in your dreams or sometimes nightmares. You wondered if it were possible to miss someone when it was only a week since you last saw him.

“Do you mind if I stay?”

You remained silent for a second, unable to find your voice.

“No, please. Stay.” You said playing nervously with your fingers.

Another group of guests arrived to drop off their coats and bags, thus breaking your awkward exchange. You took the opportunity to leave the room and returned to the living room. You looked around, there were about three people you knew and you suddenly felt like the night was going to be extremely long and tiresome.

You crossed the living room to see Y/bff who was standing alone by the wall. At least you had each other.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” You said trying to hide the emotion in your voice. Seeing Loki and knowing that you would be in the same room all night was distressing. She smiled and hugged you. You were starting to feel better when, you hear Fandral’s voice coming your way.

“A vodka for my lady, oh Y/n! Sorry I don’t have anything for you.” Fandral arrived holding a drink in his hand. He looked genuinely sorry but he seemed also upset, as if you’re arrival just ruined his chances.

“I’m good, thanks.” You smiled. You stayed with them for a moment but you knew they wanted to be alone. You excused yourself and moved around the small crowd of people.

“I’m so sorry about _him.”_ Sif said taking your arm, she was looking for you everywhere before that but her duties as the hostess kept her busy. “Thor made a point to include him. Urgh! I’m sorry.” She said obviously annoyed to have Loki in the house.

“Don’t mind me, I’m okay.”

“I’m happy to hear it.” She pouted as she stroked your arm.

At around nine, the dinner started and you sat in front of a paper with your name on it. You were at the end of the table, the rest of them sat next to their significant other. Loki was sitting at the other end of the table, Sif did everything to keep him away from you.

You failed to get into the conversation and basically ate your dish silently, smiling occasionally when someone laughed. You passed the platters and sipped your wine, which helped you to relax. When people started to leave the table to sit on the sofa, you helped Thor who took the plates to the kitchen. He argued that a guest should not be working in the kitchen but you didn’t mind.

“So, um, you talked to Loki?” He tried when you were busy placing the cutlery in the dishwasher.

“Sort of.” You replied focusing on your task. Other guests brought the empty platters and dirty wine glasses. You tried to avoid his questioning eyes when you left the kitchen.

The last hour of the year, you escaped to the balcony where you were watching at the stars all hidden by the streetlights and pollution of the city. You were waiting for the firework slightly bent over the rope of the balcony, chin resting on the back of your hands. You wanted to leave, everyone was sorry for you and you were tired of their puppy eyes or gentle strokes. It might have been disrespectful but you were tired of everyone treating you like a doll.

The bay window was closed so you could only hear muffled music coming from the living room where most of the guests were dancing. Loki watched you, he was sitting alone at the dinner table, lost in his thoughts. He watched you looking at the stars and wondered if he should join you. If you were still together, he would have joined you on the balcony and wrapped his arms around your waist, planting kisses along your exposed neck. He sighed, frustrated that he had lost you.

When he saw you shivering and furiously stroking your arms to keep yourself warm, he stood up and opened the bay window. You turned around thinking it was Sif or Y/bff but when you saw Loki close the window behind him, you knew you had to face him. You stood still, not moving an inch as he took his jacket off and placed it on your shoulders. He quickly pulled away, leaving a long distance between your bodies. With your shoulders hunched and your head down, you clutched his jacket, feeling the warm texture around your cold skin.

The two of you stayed silent for a very long time. You wondered if he was trying to say something but despite your deep desire to start the conversation and end the awkward silence, you had no idea where to start.

“How are you?” You tried, cursing yourself in your head for speaking first. He seemed startled but smiled.

“Fine. I heard you went to see my mother.”

“Yeah. She looked better.”

The balcony went back into complete silence, you wondered if you said something wrong. The atmosphere was so distressing that you felt very conscious of the way you stood or breathed and you tried to stay natural but your stomach was tied up in knots. He, on the other hand, seemed perfectly well. You ran your fingers on the rope of the balcony trying to appease your nervousness. Unfortunately, annoyance got the best of you.

“Why did you join me?”

“You looked lonely.” He turned slowly to look at you and kept a small smile on his lips. “And cold.” He added looking at his jacket.

“Do you have anything to say?”

“Not really.” He said turning back to look at the sky.

You couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. You thought he was trying to find his words, to try everything to win you back but clearly this was not his intention.

“Let me talk then.” You felt brave enough to confront him. “I wasn’t fair. You repeated numerous times that you were a bad man, that you would break my heart and so on. And I thought you were being dramatic.” You spoke fast and you took the jacket off as anger built within you, your skin was incredibly hot. You knew your face was red as a tomato but you couldn’t care less. He seemed disinterested and kept looking in front of him.

“Are you even listening to me?” You said throwing the jacket at his face. He took the jacket off his face and turned to look at you. He looked proud and sorry at the same time, which angered you even more.

You turned to look at the people inside the house and were relieved to see they were not looking at you.

“Do you remember the first time we had…” You continued unable to finish your sentence. You were afraid that if you said the word ‘sex’, memories of that night would disturb your train of thought.

“Very well, yes.” He simply answered.

“You mentioned something about hurting Odin. And you said you’d never do that!”

“I know what I said. Do you think I made that decision without thinking about it first?” It was his turn to raise his voice.

“I can’t believe you just said that. You did not think about buying a car, you plotted to...” You stopped and lowered your voice. “Kill your own father.”

“Fine, I lied. Are you happy?” He said ending the conversation.

“Oh, yes I’m overjoyed.” You fussed ironically and hutched over the rope. He sighed heavily.

“I lied, again. I have something to say, I know exactly what to say.” He moved closer but you kept your distances. “I was terrified to see you smiling and enjoying yourself because that would mean that you moved on. And I was equally terrified to find you miserable and witness how much chaos I let into your life.”

It was when you heard a loud noise followed by an explosion of blue and yellow fire in the sky that you understood another year had passed. The window opened once more allowing some of the guests to join you to watch the firework. Because of the sudden gathering, you were pushed closer to Loki and landed against his chest.

“Happy new year!” Everyone yelled.

You had to steady yourself and gripped his arm, it was the first time you touched him since you ended the relationship a week ago. Against his chest, you could feel his heart beating incredibly fast. When the firework was over, they all hurried back inside to open the bottles of champagne and left the cold balcony. You stood close to Loki, unable to move, his hand now rested on your back. You appreciated the embrace and wished that it could always be that way.

Feeling all the tensions of the past few days leave your body, you rested your head on his chest. You were not sad or angry anymore, just happy that for a minute or two you could pretend like everything was normal. He pressed your body closer to his and without realising what you were doing you pressed your lips against his. It was just a peck but it was enough to surprise him. You took a step back and smiled. His eyes were opened wide, wondering why you would do such a thing.

“Happy new year.” You said before making your way back into the house.

When you joined the guests, Sif and Y/bff were trying to get your attention by moving their arms in the air. It was not exactly discreet and surely they had too much to drink.

“No way!” Y/bff said tripping over her own feet, something that was incredible as she was not even moving. Sif giggled as she took Y/bff by her arm before she hit the floor. “We saw” She paused to point at her eyes, for dramatic drunk effect. “Everything!”

You let them sleep the wine off and stayed on a chair talking with the few people who were not completely intoxicated. At the end of the night, as you took your coat and layers of cardigans, Loki asked if he could walk you home and you accepted.

Outside in the winter night, you sunk your hands in your pockets to keep them warm. You walked silently for a while, your feet were killing you and you cursed yourself for wearing high heels. Your place was somehow close to Thor’s house. When you arrived in front of your building’s massive door, you turned to say goodbye. You stood still for a second, not knowing how you should say goodbye. He noticed your hesitation and gently grabbed your waist to pull you into a hug, his right hand stroking your head sweetly while he gripped your waist. You snaked your arms around him and felt his chin resting on the top of your head.

“I wish I were the man you deserve.”

“You were.” You replied with a hint of sadness. Your hand gently ran through his perfectly shaped face before you turned and entered your flat without him.


	17. The motel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4457 words. Wow so it’s a bit longer. I wanted a real reunion so that’s why it’s a long chapter. Watch out for the end, I don’t want to spoil but you’ll see it coming. Enjoy!

A week or so after the party, you were finishing the cakes for a birthday party that was supposed to be done the day before. The picture of you and Loki in the gossip magazine created an amazing frenzy and you were working harder every day to keep your schedule. You even had to find a new employee and Y/bff was busy training him. The new pair of hands would be a great help, you would finally be able to see something else than your shop. You raised your head to look at the clock, it was time to go. Odin called the day before, requiring a meeting to see how things were going.

“Time to go!” You said to Y/bff who was about to burst into tears.

“Can’t.” She moved from the newbie and took you aside. “He’s the worst seriously, why did we choose him? I have to keep an eye on him. Take someone else.”

“Hey, don’t be too harsh on him. It’s his first day.” You turned to see the new guy.

Finally after you looked around and saw that your entire team was busy, you decided to go to the meeting on your own. When you arrived in the hall, you signed the register book and followed the man with the key pass. He told you to wait in the meeting room, so you took your notebook and pen to get started.

Odin entered the room alone and you figured it was not a good sign.

“Y/n! Pleasure to see you again. I’ve seen a lot of you in the past couple of weeks, unfortunately it was not for business. Now let me make this clear, this is a work meeting.”

“I know, of course, nothing will cloud my judgement. I mean… I’m your employee.”

“Just so. My son decided to postpone his wedding. It will now take place in June. Are you available?”

“Yes, we are.” You said quickly. However, the delay did pick your curiosity. You heard about some tensions between Thor and Sif after Thor’s obstinacy to invite Loki at the party. Since it was a work meeting, you stayed silent.

“Are the reporters still after your every move?” He asked in a laugh.

“They calmed down.” You replied smiling at the businessman.

You talked about various imperatives for the wedding and an hour later you were leaving the meeting. It was the end of your day, you were walking down the corridor, observing the workers. In one tiny room, Loki was standing in front of a copy machine. He looked bored and resigned, not caring for the papers and the resounding noise of the machine. You slowly entered the room and stood close to the door.

“Hello.” You said disturbing his thoughts. He turned to follow the sound of the familiar voice and greeted you with a sincere smile. You noticed by the tremendous effort he put into the smile that it was a long time since he smiled to anyone. “Isn’t it the job of an intern?” You said pointing at the large pile of papers he was copying.

“It is. And now it’s my job.” He said adding more paper in the machine. “Let me guess, you have a meeting with Odin.”

“Had. I was on my way out. Do you know why the wedding is delayed?” You asked curiously.

“Sif is going on a mission somewhere.”

“Oh, I hope she’ll be fine.” You replied with a hint of anxiety. He nodded without conviction. “Um, I should leave. It was nice to see you.” You said waving your hand. The day before, you agreed to a see a man you met at one of your events. You thought it was a good thing but now, the only thing you wanted was to bail on the man.

“Wait. Can I take you somewhere? I’d like to take you out. Nothing fancy, just… you and I.”

You felt a wave of mixed feelings. Anxiety started to consume your body as the butterflies in your stomach tried to work their magic. Eventually, anxiety took over.

“I… I already have plans. Next time?”

“Of course. I won’t be leaving anytime soon anyway.” His face dropped but he tried to remain cheerful.

“Good luck.”

You left the building and climbed into a taxi. While you sat in the back, you wondered if the date was a good idea. Clearly, you were still infatuated with Loki but wondered if he was worth fighting for. Before you knew it, the driver stopped next to a restaurant. You looked shyly though the window and saw your date waiting. He was smoking a cigarette and playing with his mobile. It was too much for you, you were not ready. You gave the driver another address, a motel near the motorway, and without asking anything he turned the wheel to leave the spot. You sunk into your seat, wondering if your date saw you. You were feeling a little bit pleased for bailing on someone so rudely. If men can do it without remorse, so could you.

You paid the driver and left the taxi. When you arrived, proud of your little mischief, you banged on Y/bff’s door. She opened and let you in.

“I thought you had a date tonight.” She replied shaking her top and watched the last of the crumbs fall to the floor.

“I couldn’t.” You replied sitting on the bed. The room was small and included a bed, a bathroom and a strove next to a mini fridge.

“Can I speak my mind?” She said joining you on the bed.

“I know what you’re going to say. I don’t need a lecture, I need a friend.”

“Sweetie, I am your friend. And as your friend, I can’t sit back and watch you suffer without saying anything. I saw you kissing him. It was not him, it was you! So stop being so complicated and go talk to him.”

“I’m not complicated. The situation is.”

“Oh please, that’s just an excuse.”

“I know, I know.”

“If he had kissed you, out of the blue, wouldn’t you want to know if there’s more?”

“I guess, yes.” You bit your thumb. “He looked so vulnerable earlier. Somehow, that’s not the man I know.”

“You should talk to him. He’s a bit of an ass but he really cares for you.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well apart from the fact that it’s obvious.” She replied emphasising the last word. “I’ve talked to him. He lives across the hall.”

“What?” You said standing up and moving the curtain to look at the room across the hall. “I can’t believe you talked to him. You hate him.”

“Now I only dislike him. See, even I can change my mind. So move your ass and go talk to him.”

You waited, looking through the window when you saw Loki in gym clothes looking for his keys. He was caring a backpack and after a moment, he found the right key and entered his room. You gasped and turned to see her face, she pressed her lips together in a thin line and nodded.

“My exact first reaction.” She said turning back to look at you. “Isn’t it a small fucking world?”

“Okay, good, that’s some kind of sign, right?” You asked nervously. “The universe is telling ‘Go fix things with the guy who tried to murder his adoptive father.’”

“If he tries to kill you, scream and I will save you.” She rolled her eyes.

“Very funny. Okay, fine, good, um! I’m going.”

“Praise the Lord.”

You were forced out of the room and slowly you walked over to Loki’s door. It took a lot of strength to knock on his door but you did it anyway. When he opened the door he was still dressed with his running clothes.

“Y/n?”

“I swear I was not following you. I was visiting a friend and I saw you.”

“Please, come in.” He said too happy that you were standing in front of him. You entered his room that was similar to Y/bff and felt his hands on you shoulder. “I was going to take a shower. Please, make yourself at home. I won’t be long.” He kissed your cheek and closed the bathroom door behind him.

“No rush.” You mumbled.

You waited, feeling the heat rising to your cheeks. The room was small and book lingered everywhere, you took the one on the bedside table and turned it in your hands. The cover was old, you flipped through the pages to inhale the intoxicating scent of the printed pages. You closed your eyes, appreciating the perfume of the old book. When the water stopped running, you sat on the bed. Loki opened the door, dressed in a tight grey t-shirt and large sweatpants, he sat next to you on the bed.

“I had a date tonight.” You said looking at your feet

“I see.” He said with a deep frown.

“I bailed on him.” You added still looking at your feet. He tried very hard to keep a straight face but the muscles of his mouth turned into a satisfied smile. He placed a hand on your knee and moved your hair to the side.

“You still love me.” He breathed into your ear.

“Of course.” Your breath hitched as he planted a kiss on your neck.

“I thought about it. I should stay away from you, for your sake. But I’m not going to do that.” He said turning your face so that you’d look at him in the eyes.

“No?” You murmured entranced by his mesmerising light blue-green eyes.

“No.” He repeated. “I’ll fight tooth and nail for you, until my very last breath. Trust me.” He spoke with confidence, emphasising each word slowly, making sure you understood how far he was going to go to keep you beside him.

“I…I trust you.” You said weakly.

“Good.” He said kissing your lips gently before he stood up. You blinked a couple of times as if his words had hypnotised you. You took a deep breath and waited for his next move. “I don’t have much, do you want to go out?”

“No, it’s fine.” You said agreeing on the food he presented.

You joined him at the table and shared a meal before you decided to turn the television on and watch something. You kicked your shoes and joined him on the bed, he was sitting and his head touched the headboard. You imitated his position and enjoyed the movie. At some point, when you started to feel very sleepy, you rested your head on the pillow. Soon after that, you closed your eyes and drifted to sleep.

When the film was over, Loki took the remote and turned the television off. He looked at you with a small smile on his lips and reached a hand to take the book on the bedside table. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the bedside table, allowing him enough light to read. You mumbled something in your sleep and crept closer to him, resting your head on his chest. He wrapped his left arm around you and gently stroked your back to soothe your agitated sleep. Every time he needed to turn a page, he had to put the open book on his lap and used his right hand to turn the page. Then, still with his right hand, he held the book in front of his eyes to continue his reading. It was a bit tedious but he refused to let you go.

When he read the same line three times in a row, he decided to put the book down though he wanted to finish his page first. _“If you can do no good, at least do no harm.”_ As he put the novel down and pressed his hand on your back to keep you closer to his chest, he thought about that line. He’ll try his best to do no harm, thinking that it would be easier when there’s someone worth fighting for.

The next day, you woke up to find Loki reading a book. As you rubbed your eyes, you wondered if he slept at all last night. Your movements made him put his book down. He caressed your back and you noted that you were sleeping on him, legs intertwined under a blanket. You stretched, careful not to punch him in the face.

“What are you reading,” Your voice was still raspy from the night.

“Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut.”

“Like it?”

“It helped me a lot these days.” He said kissing the top of your head.

You sat on the bed and took your phone from your pocket. There were messages from the guy you stood up, but your eyes opened wide when you noticed the time. You were two hours late for work. Not that it mattered much, you were the boss but you had a lot of work to do and surely it didn’t look professional.

“Oh no! Why did you let me sleep?” You gasped tossing the blanket on him and quickly gathered your shoes.

“You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you.” He said putting his book on the bed.

“I’m super late, I have to go.” You said hurriedly as you put your coat on. You pecked his lips quickly before he could say anything and left the room to find a taxi, which was not an easy task. When you arrived at work, you were over three hours late.

“Finally! I was starting to wonder if we would see you today.” Y/bff watched as you entered the kitchen. “Isn’t what you wore yesterday?” She said, not even bothering to hide the amusement in her voice. “Lucky girl!”

“Shut up, I did nothing but sleep.”

“Oh, so it was that bad.” She grinned.

“Stop it! We just talked.”

“That’s already a great improvement.” She said returning to the front shop to greet the newly arrived customers.

You took your apron and started to work. At the end of the day, you decided to punish yourself for arriving late because if it were one of your employees, you would have scold them. You let them leave and cleaned the shop alone. It was late when Sif knocked on the glass window, the light was still on but the door was closed. You moved from the kitchen and opened the door.

“I wanted to call you. I heard about the wedding, what’s going on?”

“I have to leave the country. We have a mission to carry on. I’m leaving in a week and I won’t be back soon.” She said with a weary face.

You were not sure what to say, she was a very strong woman but surely she was not here by mistake.

“I’m sorry Sif, I hope you’ll be safe.” She smiled softly and turned around. “Are you okay?” You asked tentatively.

“I wanted to see you. I remembered, even though I was completely drunk, that you kissed Loki the other night.”

“I did.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want? The way I see it, you finally free from all the tantrums.” You crossed your arms in a defensive manner and waited for her to turn around. She turned to see the angry look in your eyes and sighed. “I’m asking because…” She paused and tapped her hand on the glass counter that you just cleaned. “I don’t think I can go on.” Her voice broke and she bit her lower lip to keep herself together.

You quickly crossed the shop to hug her. She abandoned herself in your arms but tried to silence her sobs.

“What is going on between you and Thor?”

“Loki.” She laughed bitterly and stood up sniffing noisily. “Do you think it’s healthy for a man to care more about his brother than his future wife? Cause if not, I better leave him right now.”

You didn’t know what to say, sure Thor thought of Loki as a fragile little thing that needed to be protected while Sif was so strong and independent. All in all, Thor and Sif were very similar. Thor needed to prove his strength by taking care of someone and clearly Sif didn’t need protection. Loki, on the other hand, with his lean frame and his sad puppy eyes was exactly what Thor was looking for.

“You should tell him about it.”

“I tried. He said I was crazy, that family was everything and so on. Though I remember when we were younger, after Fandral got ten stitches from one of Loki’s nasty pranks, he was not so kind with his brother anymore.” She recalled.

You frowned at the mention of the prank but sort of expected him to be that kind of guy.

“I’m not going to bother you any longer. I know you want to mend things with Loki but make sure you know what you get into.” She said before she turned to leave.

You froze, she was saying at loud all the things you were secretly wondering. When she left the shop, a knock on the kitchen door made you shiver. You put your hand to your heart and sighed before you moved to see who it was.

“You sure love that door. You know we have a front door too.” You grinned when you saw Loki.

“It was a bit crowded for my taste.” He smirked and entered the kitchen. “Sif has a loud voice. I heard everything.” He said turning back to see you.

“What are you doing here anyway?” You asked before he could speak ill of Sif.

“I had a feeling you’d still be working. You were late this morning and I’m _terribly_ sorry.”

“No you’re not.” You laughed, crossing your arms on your chest.

“Alright, I’m not. I even think you ditched me.”

“Ditched you?” You repeated, your body bent slightly as you said those words. “I have to work. Didn’t you have to work?”

“The photocopies can wait.” He looked suddenly very grim.

“Yeah, what’s that about?” You said moving closer to the counter at the centre of the kitchen.

“I told you, that’s my job now. I make photocopies and I bring their coffees. Odin’s trying to kill me slowly, I can tell you it’s worse than poison.” He tapped his fingers, his short fingernails made noise on the counter.

You couldn’t help but wince at the mention of poison. Did he even feel sorry for what he tried to do? _Probably not_ , you thought.

“Enough talking about that.” He said, sensing your worries.

He moved closer, his fingers still running on the counter, you couldn’t keep your eyes off him. He walked by you and opened the fridge, you couldn’t see him because of the opened door and wondered what he was doing. When his head popped up from behind the door, he winked and placed the eggs on the counter, using a swift motion of his foot to close the door.

“Omelette. Not much we can do with what you have in here.” He said taking one of the frying pan from the sideboard.

“We only make sweet treats.” You said, sitting on one of the stools. You rested your elbows on the counter and appreciated the view. It was nice to be taken care of for a change. You watched him break and whisk the eggs, his body wiggling as he beat the eggs. When he was pleased with the eggs, he stopped his movements and put the fork down. “Please don’t stop. That was quite a nice view.” You teased.

He turned slowly, his cheeks were slightly red but he gave you a big smile before he put the eggs in the hot pan. He let the eggs cook for a while and turned to take your hands. Once you were standing in front of him, he bent to claim your lips. You stepped on your tiptoes and let him deepened the kiss he initiated. You moaned against his mouth, letting go of all the accumulated tension.

With a rapid move, he grabbed your waist and put you on the counter. His hands were running along you thighs while his tongue was still playing with yours. You kept your hands tangled around his neck, to keep him close and prevent him from breaking the kiss. Feeling your eagerness, he used his knee to spread your legs apart and moved even closer. You took the opportunity to straddle his waist while his hands played with your hair.

The smell of food reminded you that the eggs were still on the strove. Reluctantly, you broke the kiss to look in the direction of the frying pan while Loki buried his head in your neck. He used his tongue on your neck, licking the tender flesh before his teeth made sure to leave marks that you would have to cover up. The eggs were cooked and exploded loudly, sending bits of cooked eggs across the hob.

“The eggs.” You gasped for air as he sucked on your tender flesh. He slowly raised his head, wondering what you were talking about, when he saw the overcooked eggs in the frying pan. He rushed to stop the heat under the frying pan.

“I think I just ruined our dinner.”

“We’ll grab something later.” You said moving impatiently on the counter, you reached a hand for him. “Come back.”

He turned around and took your hand, your words were quite effective on him. He closed his fingers on your waist and pressed you closer to continue where he stopped. However, you wanted to be make things clear before going any further.

“Don’t you ever do that again! I swear, don’t ever do that.” You cupped his face with your hands and moved to look at him properly. He knew what you were talking about. He was afraid you’d remember his actions and kick him out of the kitchen.

“I won’t.”

“No, no you won’t. Because if you make me go through this again, I will cut you to pieces. Got it?” You said dead serious, your eyes never left his. His usual smirk faded, a spark of satisfaction flashed through his startled eyes. He grinned proudly at your boldness. “I don’t care that you want to hurt people, I care if you actually do those stupid things.”

“I swear, I’ll find you as soon as my brain starts to pull these tricks on me.”

“I’ll see you a lot then.” You laughed, your fingers playing mindlessly with his zipper.

“That’s the idea.”

You decided that was good enough considering the man was a stubborn smartass. You pressed your lips on his and slid your tongue through his parted lips. He let his tongue dance with yours in a heated kiss. Your hands moved quickly on his belt and zipper, unable to contain your excitement. He pulled on his trousers and boxers and let them fall to the ground around his ankles. You pushed him away with your foot and jumped out of the table to unfasten your own trousers. He stroked his cock while you battled to get rid of your panties. When you were done, he helped you move on the counter again. The cold material made your skin break in goosebumps, he yanked your legs so that you were sitting on the edge of the counter.

He stroked his length over your swollen folds and after a minute of this sweet torture, he was slick from your wetness. With a ragged sigh, he locked his eyes with yours as he positioned himself at your entrance, his hand was lovingly cupping your cheek. He surged deeply and watched in delight as your face twisted with pleasure. You bit your bottom lip, trying hard to keep your eyes locked with his. Once he buried himself completely, he closed his eyes for a second to regain his composure. You kissed his cheek with feather kisses and tried to roll your hips but your position didn’t allow you much movements. However, he felt your desire and opened his eyes again. His hips started to roll at a slow pace, long and deep strokes, tearing obscene moans from your lips.

Unable to support his stare, you pressed your forehead on his shoulder as he quickened his pace. His shoves were fast and merciless but you could feel how much he wanted you. It wasn’t lust, it was a real desire. A desire so intense that no matter how deep he thrust, he wanted to feel you closer and closer. His breathing ragged in your ear, you were not able to keep your eyes open anymore. Still pressed against his shoulder, all you could do was mewl coarsely as he fucked you intimately and passionately.

Your skin was now covered in goosebumps for a completely different reason, the cold counter was just a vague memory now that heat suffused your sweaty skin. You arched your back as you climbed closer to your peak. You tried to pull your head away from his shoulder but all you could do was clench you fist tighter on his white shirt. His groans were filled with his shabby breaths, he could feel his manhood throbbing, signalling he was close. Together you panted, ready to get lost in the synchronised orgasm of your joined bodies.

Your toes curled as you pressed the heel of your shoes against his back. With one hard thrust and a long cry from Loki’s lips, your walls clenched around him, gripping and milking him dry. You could feel the warm seed filling you as he continued to surge into your quivering core. Slowly he rode through his climax, emptying himself completely while you tried to calm your agitated heart and your sobs. When he pulled out, you relaxed your fist and let go of his shirt, tapping his chest with the palm of your hand as a reward. Your appreciative gesture made him chuckled, he moved his hands to cup your face so that he could kiss you. He kept you close and you both stayed silent, thankful for the beautiful moment you shared. Once his heartbeat returned to normal, he stepped back.

“We should go somewhere else.” He said, fixing his trousers.

“I need to clean first. It’s a mess and we did not make it better.” You said laying down on the soiled counter, there were chunks of food and dirty kitchen utensils.

“Come on, I’ll help you.” He said stroking your thighs as you slid down the table. “After all, I was part of the mess.” He added with a smirk.


	18. The tape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3615 words. With this chapter, we are beginning to end the story. It ends on a cliffhanger btw. Enjoy :)

 The next morning, you made sure to arrive at work on time. It was difficult to leave your flat, every time you tried to leave your bed, two strong hands pulled you back onto the mattress. Loki kept you close, planting warm kisses on your exposed skin.

“Don’t you have to work?” You asked, trying to move out of bed to get dressed. You made very little effort to move away from his arms.

“I’d rather stay here.”

“I know, so do I but we have to work.” You stopped fighting and let him do as he wanted, which contradicted what you just said. “Odin will fire you if you don’t go to work.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this whole thing, is that he will keep me until one of us die.”

“Is that the only thing you’ve learned?” You said weakly.

He put his index under your chin and lifted your head to look at you in the eyes. You took the opportunity to move away from his chest and sat on the bed.

“Of course not.” His index stroked the side of your jaw. “I heard you last night. If you’re willing to help me control this anger, I will do no harm.” He said remembering the quote from his book. _If you can do no good, at least do no harm_. And surely he knew that no matter who was beside him, goodness was not in his nature. But with you by his side, he would be able to control his urges.

“I’ll try my best, if you do.” You said, kissing the side of his hand.

You gathered your things quickly, took a shower and after a cup of coffee, you were both outside ready to go to work. Loki walked with you and left you in front of your shop before he continued his way. You took the back alley tried to unlock it the kitchen door, before you realised that it was already open. You furrowed your brows, you were always the first one to arrive.

You opened the door and saw all the kitchen utensils ready on the kitchen counters. The light from the office was on, Y/bff stood up from her chair and smiled when she saw you.

“What are you doing in the office, we never use that room.” You asked a bit confused as you left your coat and purse in your locker.

“Yesterday, I lost my mobile. I knew I had it during the day, so I’m looking for it.”

“In the office? The door was locked since… Actually I don’t think we opened that door in three months.” You laughed.

“Yep, the last time we went in there was when we put the surveillance cameras. Remember?” She twisted her mouth to avoid grinning.

“Oh yeah, I think you’re right.” You said, tying your apron around your waist. “So you still think you lost it in the office?”

“No. I was looking at the security footage to see if I dropped it somewhere.” She passed by you, tying her own apron and stood exactly where you and Loki had sex the previous night. She had a smug smile on her face and that’s when you understood. You bit your lower lip and stood completely still. “I’m glad you scrubbed the counter afterwards.” She grinned from ear to ear. You felt suddenly really warm.

“Oh my God, no!” You collapsed on your counter, mortified. You completely forgot about the security cameras.

“What a waste of good eggs.” She said trying really hard not to laugh.

“You watched it? Tell me you deleted that tape!” You practically screamed, your face was as red as it could be.

“No, urgh, please! When I saw what you were doing I turned it off. I’m not a creep.” She said with a sneer. “The tape is in your locker, you’re welcome.” She resumed with a wink.

“This is so wrong.” You whispered to yourself.

“Please by all mean, have fun!”

You joined her in a giggle and tried to focus on your work, more co-workers started to arrive. At around noon, you decided to take a break before finishing your shift in the front shop. You went outside and walked around the street to clear your mind. A red sport car stopped next to you, the man inside stormed out of the car.

“Y/n!” Thor said lifting your body from the ground in a warm hug. “By the look on my brother’s face this morning, you reconnected with him.” He put you down, a big smile on his lips.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Let me invite you to our dinner tonight. Our last dinner together before Sif goes… where she has to go.” His voice turned weak but he tried to keep his smile.

“Sure.” You replied with a soft smile. You wondered if you should say something about Sif’s doubts about the wedding but ultimately decided to keep your mouth shut. It was not important at the moment.

“I’ll text you the details.”

You returned to your shop and continued to work until it was time to close and clean everything. You picked the tape from your locker and placed it in your purse. The ride home seemed longer than usual, you constantly checked your purse to make sure the tape was still there. You sighed in relief when you managed to go home with the tape still safely stuffed between your wallet and your mobile.

You changed into something more appropriate and waited for your boyfriend to pick you up. Earlier, Loki texted you that he bought a new car, something less exuberant than his old black jaguar and more practical. He knocked and opened the door, you were in the bathroom and screamed that you’ll be out in a minute. He looked around, the tape caught his attention. The little video was inside a plastic box with a transparent cover. _Little mischief_ was handwritten by Y/bff on the round recording. He smiled with a frown as he took it in his hands.

“Oh, don’t play with that.” You arrived behind him and noticed he was holding the tape.

“Little mischief? What is it?” He grinned at the tittle.

“Um,” You said, feeling the heat rising to your cheeks. “It’s us, last night.” His eyes opened wide in surprise, his tongue darted out and ran over his thin lips. “I forgot we had cameras in the kitchen. It will go to the bin later, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He returned his attention to the tape. “Have you watch it?”

“What? No, of course not.” You replied bent forward as you were zipping your boots.

He pouted still turning the tape in his large hands.

“We could keep it. Just in case.”

“In case of what?” You laughed wryly as you stood up.

“In case one of us is curious as to what it looks like.”

You pressed our lips together in a thin line and tried to keep a straight face. You knew he wouldn’t let go and you were already late.

“We’ll talk about it later. Can we go now?”

He put the tape on the table and with a curious smirk, he took his car keys. You watched a bit baffled but try to keep a serious look on your face. Your place and Thor’s apartment were so close you wondered why he even bothered driving. You climbed the little stairs that led to the front door and rang the doorbell, Loki intertwined his fingers with yours. You waited in front of the door and as you were about to share a kiss with Loki, Thor opened the door.

“Welcome.” He greeted with his arms wide opened. He pulled you into a hug, the second of the day. You stumbled slightly on your heels as he let you enter the house. You took your coat off and greeted the other guests with a small wave of your hand.

“You’re right on time. We were setting the table.” Thor said closing the door before he rushed to the kitchen.

“I could use a drink.” Loki mumbled to you as he took his own jacket off. You glowered at him, it was not the time to make things worse.

Sif and Frigga were placing the cutlery on the table, careful to leave enough space between the guests while Odin sipped a drink on his chair. Once her task was accomplished, Frigga came to hug you, pressing your body tightly against hers. You smiled at her before greeting Sif.

“Mum… don’t.” You heard Loki say to his mother as she moved her thumb on his cheek to remove the lipstick stain she just made.

The dinner was very quiet and you couldn’t be happier about it. Nobody collapsed on the kitchen floor, no rush to the nearest hospital, no poisoning, it was a bliss. You let the delicious feeling of serenity spread through your body as you supped your wine. All the plates were empty and you noticed the accumulation of the bottles of wine. A bunch of drunk people with so much resentment, it could go down pretty fast. You fidgeted in your seat as the dreadful idea came to your mind, you wondered if it would be rude to leave now.

“So how is work?” Frigga asked her sons.

 _Great_ , you thought, _now shit’s going down_. The two boys fiddled with whatever they had in their hands.

“Good.” Thor simply answered. Sif promptly stood up and started to gather the empty plates and cutlery, you would have joined her but you were anxiously waiting for Loki’s answer.

“Fine.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Thor is doing a superb work. I gave him the most important case we ever had yesterday, and I am not disappointed.” Odin said holding his wife’s shoulder. “Loki’s work has improved greatly.” He added, though his wife was unaware that Loki’s new responsibilities consisted in making coffee and bringing the files.

You cast your head down and saw Loki’s nails digging into the wooden chair. His knuckles started to turn white, you raised your head and saw him smile softly to his mother. You couldn’t help but notice how tense his muscles were, the vein on his neck was pumping hard and it wasn’t long before his jaw clench. His father continued to praise Thor’s work and Loki had to bit his lower lip to control himself.

“Who would like a cup of coffee?” Sif asked as she came back from the kitchen. You could tell she was not having fun. She had a sullen look on her face and rebuked every single one of Thor’s kisses, but the man seemed oblivious.

“Sit down, dear. Loki will make coffee. You should really try it, it’s a wonder.” Odin said, kissing the tip of his fingers like he was some sort of Italian chef.

It was more than he could bear, Loki opened his mouth to protest but you quickly put your hand over his and ran your thumb on his knuckles. Immediately, he let go of the tension and turned his head to look at you. He stood up and went to the kitchen, you smiled to yourself before you joined him. The rest of the family looked at you with round eyes but you paid no attention and once you were in the kitchen, you could hear they changed the subject.

Loki was standing in front of the pot, making coffee. You wrapped your fingers around his small frame, hugging him tightly against your chest, he leaned his head to the side to touch yours.

“I’m proud of you.” You said kissing him where your mouth could reach.

“May I ask why?”

“You didn’t let him break you and that is a great start.”

He smiled and closed the lid. As soon as he pressed the ‘on’ button, the coffee machine started to make a loud noise before steam escaped the lid and a thin brown liquid trickled down the pot.

“Told you, with you I’m invincible.” He grinned as he turned around and claimed your lips in a heated kiss. He moved your collar, revealing the purple bruise he made the night before. He let his fingers brushed over the bruise with a smug smile on his face. “Nice roll-neck.” He grinned.

“Oh shut up.” You replied, trying to adjust the collar to hide your hickey.

“On a more serious note, thank you.” He said kissing you again.

The pot started to whistle for attention but you couldn’t care less, it was when Odin’s voice called from the living room that you both had to break the kiss. With a heavy sigh, Loki took the cups and sugar bowl before he returned to the living room. You took the pot when you noticed Odin’s car keys on the counter. You took the keys and a stupid and malicious idea came to your mind, you threw them in the dirty water of the sink. You returned to the living room with a fake worried look on your face.

“I am so sorry, I think I accidentally dropped your keys in the sink.” You said as you placed he pot on the table. Odin stoop up precipitately and ran to the kitchen, seconds later you heard him groaned as he pulled his keys from the sink. Frigga stood up to help her husband while Sif rebuked another kiss from Thor. You sat down next to Loki and poured coffee in the cups with the ghost of a satisfied smile on your lips.

“Did you do it on purpose?” Loki whispered as he leaned closer. The thought terrified and excited him at the same time.

“You’ll never know.” You replied quietly. Odin and Frigga entered the living room, the keys wrapped in a kitchen towel. “I’m so sorry, is it working?”

“Don’t worry, I have a spare key in my jacket.” Odin said with a smile, though you could clearly tell he was irritated.

“Thank God!” You said with a smirk to Loki.

He watched you, his mouth agape and his elbow placed on the back of the chair as he turned on his chair to look at you. “You’re bad.” He mouthed slowly with a proud smirk. You winked discretely as you placed your elbow on the table and rested your chin in the palm of your hand, cupping your own face.

“Right. We have to go, the day was long.” Loki said in a hurry as he stood up and took your hand.

You said goodbye to the guests and hugged Sif a little longer and tighter. She was going to leave in a couple of days.

“Tell Thor how you feel. Don’t be like them.” You said as she hugged you back. You felt her chin pressing on your shoulder as she nodded.

“I will.” She replied, her voice was firm to hide her emotions.

You left the house, followed Loki into the car and returned to your flat. You collapsed on your sofa and lay there for a while. Loki joined you, moving your legs to sit under you and putting them back on his lap. You propped yourself on your elbows, he was looking straight before him into nothing. You sat on the sofa and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek.

“I have a bad influence on you.”

“Oh shut up, that was nothing.” You laughed, resting your head on his chest while he stroked your legs. He inhale deeply and your head moved on his chest.

“No?” He kissed the top of your head.

“Come on, I’ve done some pretty nasty stuff. I’m no angel.”

He pushed you away from him to look at you in the eyes. “Please tell me.” He said with a smirk.

You narrated some of your darkest stories, and although it was not as dark and gloomy as his backstory, it piqued his interest. Finally, you stood up and took the tape on the table. He asked if you were sure about it and you nodded, resolute to show him you did not have a holier-than-thou attitude. He laughed heartily and watched as you sat back next to him and took the remote. Contrary to your initial thought, you really enjoyed the video. The camera was placed behind you so you had a great view on Loki’s face. It showed you something about the previous night that you were not able to see. You loved how passionate his movement were, you were never able to focus on them in the heat of the moment. Next to you, Loki fidgeted on the sofa.

“Not exactly what I had in mind.” He said with a frown as he watched his face twist in pleasure on the video.

“I quite like it.” You replied biting the nail of your thumb. With one last grimace, Loki took the remote and turned the video off. “Oooh!” You whined as the screen turned black. “I was watching that.” You grinned.

“There’s something I want to ask.” He said as he turned around on the sofa. Your legs where crossed on the sofa, you bent one to turn and face him. He placed his hand on your knee and stroked it absentmindedly. You smiled wondering what he had in mind. “I would understand if you preferred to stay out of it.”

You were getting worried but patiently waited that he had the courage to talk.

“I was making coffee at the office when I heard Odin speak on the phone. He said he had a place where he kept the evidence of my misappropriation and other minor things.”

“Minor things?” You repeated without hiding your annoyance.

“Speed driving… mostly.” You sighed as your head hit the soft headrest of the sofa. “I know. I thought you could help me find where he keeps the files. I destroy them and I’m free to do whatever I want to do.”

“Um,” You were thinking about it. “Why would he talk about it with someone? Are you sure he didn’t hear you?”

“No, he didn’t. I don’t know, he was probably talking with my mother or Thor. It doesn’t matter, what matters is that I can finally be free.”

“Yeah, sure. That’d be great.” You sat straight on the sofa, suddenly excited by the idea. “How are we going to do that?” He smiled at the word ‘we’ and leaned forward.

“I was thinking I could pay the janitor to search his office.”

“Urgh, that a stupid idea.” You slapped your tights. “He will go straight to Odin. We have to do it ourselves.”

“No, it’s too dangerous. If he finds you lurking around his office, you’ll lose everything.”

“Let’s not get caught, then.” Your voice was filled with excitation.

He gave you a worried smile but finally conceded as your eyes twinkled with excitation.

The next few months, you fell into a weird routine. You were working all day in your shop and spend every night with your boyfriend. Loki was working in his father’s business, making coffees and photocopies. He was behaving pretty well, considering his history. Sometimes, he was just sitting on a chair, looking at the scenery with a sad look on his face. He feared that you were never going to find the files but you always managed to brighten his day.

Other days, he came back to your place so angry and so enraged that you needed more than a film and a couple of kisses to cheer him up. These days, the only thing that soothed him was pinning you against the nearest wall and taking you roughly until your legs were not able to support you anymore. You hated these days, the idea that someone messed with him was unbearable. However you also loved the way he pressed his body against yours, taking you the way he wanted and caring very little about the decency of the location. He would always apologise afterwards, sometimes you could see in his eyes that he was terrorised. He couldn’t help but think he was a monster when he smashed his hips violently against yours, groaning and biting your flesh. You tried to reassure him, telling him you enjoyed it and that he didn’t hurt you in any ways but it had little effect on him.

Meanwhile, Odin never left his office long enough for you to search it and despite your best effort, you were still trying to find the files. You and Loki continued to search random places like the manor, it was so huge that you were not even done yet. As time went by, month after month, you were seeing a lot more of Loki and you couldn’t be happier about it. After two months, his clothes started to pile in your bedroom so you gave him some space in your wardrobe and drawers. Another month later, you were surprised by the number of books that accumulated on your bedside table and on the carpeting. It was customary for Loki to read while you drifted to sleep. At that moment, you became conscious that you were pretty much living together, a feeling that warmed your heart.

One day of May, as you were about to take a lunch break, the phone rang and Y/bff answered.

“Of course. I will tell her, thank you.” She said with her best professional voice. Once she hung up, she turned to you. “Odin needs to see you in his office, he said it was important.”

“In his office? Um, ok. I’ll go right now.” You said taking your purse from your locker.


	19. The desk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3632 words. My hand slipped and I wrote porn, oops. Smutty smut. It’s Loki’s payback now! So you know it’s going to be rough. TW for spanks and an itsy-bitsy of blood. Reader is fully ok with everything.

When you entered the building, you were surprised to see that everyone looked unusually cheerful. You walked along the long corridor, no one was there. When you reached the corner, you were startled to see that Odin’s assistant was not behind his desk. You knocked on the door and waited, no one answered so you knocked again.

“Sir?” You asked, opening the door with extreme caution.

“I love when you call me ‘Sir’.” The other person spoke. You gasped in shock before you recognised the familiar voice of your lover. Loki was kneeling behind his father’s desk trying to open the sideboards. He groaned when they remained closed.

“What are you doing here? I thought I had an appointment with Odin.” You whispered a bit preoccupied at the thought that someone could catch you in the big boss’ office. You stood on the threshold, cocked your head to see if someone arrived. Thor’s office door was closed but you had no idea if he was inside or not.

“He must keep it somewhere! The books!” Loki said, looking at you. “The files, whatever says that I’ve stolen money from him. Don’t look at me that.” He added when you gave him a scolding stare. “I’m merely doing what you suggested. It was your plan, remember? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind!” He replied with a hint of fear. You shook your head and he sighed in relief. “Come on, then! Help me, that’s why I asked you here.” He continued his search.

“You know, I have no problem going through someone’s office.” You said ironically. “But we’re going to get caught. Let’s get out of here, we’ll find another way.”

“No, no. It’s fine.” He said without looking at you. “Odin left for the day. And he took his assistant with him. The door was locked, so can you…” He waved dismissively towards the open door and you turned to close it before reaching his side.

“Alright.” You said reluctantly. “Where should I start?” It was true that you were a bit uncomfortable with the situation but you were also excited. You never did this kind of things before.

“Um,” He said looking around the room. “Start with that one.” He added pointing at a metal drawer that was on your left. You nodded and bent over the drawer to go through Odin’s stuff. The room was completely silent. You were focusing on your task when you felt two hands on your hips and a warm breath on your neck.

“That’s a very nice skirt.” He said running his hands on your bare thighs as you were still hunched over the drawer. “You’re driving me crazy.” He leaned to whisper to your ear.

“Um, remember how we supposed to be robbers not lovers?” You smirked, standing a bit more straight, as he sucked your ear lobe into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth.

“There’s no rush. No one will come in here.” He kissed your neck while his hands were pushing your skirt up your tights. “Well… that’s not exactly true.” He grinned, still kissing your neck. You could feel the growing bulge in his trousers as he rubbed his groin against your back. You lost the ability to think straight and turned around to kiss him passionately, your teeth grinding against his lower lip.

“I want to fuck you on his desk.” He said after he broke the kiss.

“You want that more than searching for your files?” You asked, knowing damn well his answer.

With a smile, he took your hand and led you towards Odin’s desk. “Turn around and bend over.” He said with evident lust as he took his jacket off. You obeyed and hunched over the desk, keeping your elbows on the desk to support your bust.

You felt Loki’s hands raising your skirt higher until your panties were exposed. He took his time to remove your knickers, making sure you were longing for it. When they were around your ankles, you moved on your feet to get rid of it. He gently stroked your bare rear and spread your legs further apart.

“You’ll have to stay silent, love.” He whispered still stroking your ass, you moaned quietly in response. He slapped your ass without warning, which made you gasp loudly. He quickly bent over, his hard bulge pressing on your ass, and placed a hand over your mouth. “It’s payback, love. Remember? When you teased me to death?” He waited for your answer and you nodded quickly. “I’m going to do the exact opposite. Tell me, how many times do you want to come around my cock?” He nibbled your earlobe as you let a long moan escape our lips, still covered by his large hand.

You felt his hand smack your ass, leaving a warm red print.

“One?” Then came another smack. “Two?” Another slap. “Three?” The hand over your mouth prevented you from saying anything. After the third slaps, you tried to wriggle away from his grip to stop the counting. You also knew it was hopeless and that he had already decided a number. “Four?” He replied with another smack. At this point you wondered how you would be able to climax four times in a row. He knew very well that you were trying to stop him but he already had his mind set on a number. “Five?” He said with a final slap. He took his hand from your mouth and turned your face to look at you. “Five seems fine. What do you say?”

“Five seems a bit much, perhaps three would…” Your sentence was cut off as he rubbed your warm backside with his hand. “Oh, yes!” You moaned at the sensation and forgot what you wanted to say. “I have to be at work in an hour.” You panted slightly when you couldn’t feel his touch on you.

“Darling,” He said as his fingers sought you and teased your clit. “I think you’ll be late.”

You made a sound that was hardly human and pressed your head on the leather notebook displayed on the desk. He worked his forefinger on your bud while his other hand slipped under your jumper and tugged your bra down, letting our breast rub on the soft material. He pinched and stroked in rhythm with his other hand, making your sensitive nipples hard.

He kicked your legs further apart with his knee and moved his finger from your clit to your folds. He took a moment to appreciate how wet you were. His finger fondled your slit, delving into your wetness. You moaned at the slight tease before he started to thrust his finger inside you, spreading the lips wide. Your breathing hitched and your arched your back, begging for more. He continued his ministrations, thrusting his long finger slowly. The friction of your bare breast against the jumper and his other hand that continued to rub your hard nipples were enough to make your head spin.

He thrust a second finger inside your warm core, scissoring his fingers to stretch your tight walls. You griped the edge of the desk with all your strength. He was so slow but his long fingers kept touching that sweet spot inside you, not completely but enough to make you beg for more.

“Try not to leave scratch marks.” He chuckled and increased the speed of his fingers. You felt your orgasm slowly built up in your stomach. Your legs shivered, unable to move the way you wanted. You bit your lips and tried to keep quiet when you came around his fingers. He thrust slowly, even slower than before, to help you get a hold of your orgasm.

“The first one was easy, wasn’t it?” He said and you heard him unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers. You gripped the desk tighter, preparing yourself for something bigger than his fingers. When you felt him at your entrance, you closed your eyes in anticipation. “That was just a test run.” He said as the head of his cock flicked your wet folds.

“Do it already!” You said impatiently. He laughed and ran his cock up and down your wet entrance until he was slick with your wetness.

He bent to kiss the back for your neck as he continued his sweet torture. You pushed yourself against him in a desperate attempt to feel him inside you. He took you by your waist to keep you in place and whispered.

“Shh! Patience, my love.” He continued his torture until he thought you had enough. Gripping you tighter, he buried himself completely in one hard thrust, without giving you any time to adjust to his thick girth. He slammed his hips forward, stuffing your dripping pussy. Each pound is hard and rough as he set a pitiless pace.

You put both your hands over your mouth as you were getting louder. You tried to take a deep breath through your nose but ended up sounding like you were having an asthma attack. He panted hard, his hips kept hitting your ass as the sound of your wet flesh echoed in the vast and silent office. With his hand, he grabbed a handful of your hair raising your head closer to his. Your back was bent in an uncomfortable position and his hand on your waist moved to put one of your legs on the desk so that he could surge deeper. His mouth was so close to your ear, you could hear that each breath was getting more difficult. He groaned loudly which almost annoyed you, since you were desperately trying to keep quiet.

You glanced at the door, wondering what would happen if someone entered at this exact moment. Somehow the idea made you even more excited. He spurted forward and you can feel the muscles in his body tense, signalling that he was about to come. He released your hair and moved his hand to your clit where he furiously flicked your swollen bud. With both your hands firmly pressed around your mouth, you let a guttural and low scream as he emptied himself into your quivering walls.

You shivered and panted, your mind still processing. He reached for your hand and led you towards the chair. He bent to kiss your lips, his face flushed a bright shade of red. You sat down on the chair and let him set you up the way he wanted. At this point you were a sloppy mess. You closed your eyes, feeling his hot breath on your thighs. Your right leg was resting on the armchair while your left leg was securely placed behind his shoulder.

“Two.” He grinned as he kissed his way up your right tight. You tried to mumble something but you were too focused on his movements to actually care. He spread the wetness and juices with his hand before he started to use his tongue to pleasure you.

You shivered the first time his tongue lapped your juices, your lips sensitive from the two orgasms and you whined silently, thinking that you were not even half way through his payback. The flat of his tongue fitted perfectly with your trembling lips. He lapped his way up, until he reached your clit and flicked his tongue over and around it. Your knuckles turned white as you gripped your armrests with your remaining strength.You opened your eyes to look at his face, buried between your tights.

With a devilish smirk, he delved his tongue as far as he could. His hands were already ready to catch your waist as the sudden increase of pleasure made you back arch violently. He withdrew his tongue and flicked over your folds until he saw your eyes lulled in the back of your head. He gritted his teeth on your oversensitive bud and watched as your head hit the back of the chair. He sucked and pushed his tongue further until he felt your muscles clench. You wailed, something completely obscene that left little doubt as to what was happening inside the office. You couldn’t care less, at this moment all you could think about was… _Three_.

Loki sat on the carpeting, his cock was hard, twitching for attention but his eyes were close. He looked even more exhausted than you were. You smiled, realising it might be your best chance to tease him a little. The thought gave you the strength to stand up and kneeled in front of him.

“Tired?” Your voice was raw from the screaming.

“I’ll let you be in charge for that one.” He said laying on the carpeting. You laughed and took his hard member firmly in your hands. You moved your hand on his cock, rubbing the precum on the sensitive head with your thumb. He hummed in delight, his eyes still closed and an arm bent under his head.

You straddled your legs around his waist, his hard length poking at your entrance. You push your hips down as he surprised you by pushing his own hips up. You gasped as the sudden deep thrust and blinked the shock away. You looked down to see him grin from ear to ear, his eyes still closed and his arm still bent under his head. You decided to punish him with a long roll of your hips, feeling his cock trembling inside you. He arched his back and used his elbows to prop himself up until he can reach your waist. He pressed you closer, thrusting at a rough almost brutal pace.

His eyes never left yours. You tried very hard to keep them open but after a while, all you can see were the stars dancing in front of you. You felt his lips claiming yours in a bruising kiss, his tongue playing with yours. You bit his lips hard, almost breaking the skin. His eyes opened wide at the sudden pain and he smirked, giving you a gentle push with his nose, allowing you to bite harder. You bit his lower lip harder as Loki thrust harder into you, you know you’ll have bruises all over your tights. You sucked on his lower lip, tasting the metallic taste of blood. When you pull away from his face, you can see the small cut on his lip and the drop of blood running on his chin. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and threw himself forward to land on top of you.

Loki took his cock with his right hand to run the blunt head through you folds, spreading the wetness that soaked out. You whimpered at the feeling, your legs loosen their grip around his waist. He pressed the head at your entrance and pushed forward until he was completely seated inside you. He quickly withdrew to leave just the tip of his cock and surged forward, filling you with one deep thrust. He did it a couple times until you both climaxed at the same time, screaming in unison as you tried to steady your breath.

“tha…unf… good… fourth.” You panted, trying to stand up but your legs were numb. You could feel your heart beat incredibly fast in your chest and wondered if the fifth orgasm was not going to be your death. You believed he had enough, that he was going to back up. But in an effortless movement, he grabbed your waist, straddled your legs around his waist and walked toward the desk for the big finale.

You whined loudly as you felt your ass pressing on the wooden desk. You were about to burst into flame, you knew your body and it was already much more than you could bear.

“Can’t.” You moaned huskily as you ran your hands on your face, smudging your makeup in the process.

“You will.” He said in an intimating voice. You could hear in his voice that he was also trying to convince himself. He bent and rested his forearms on the desk, at each side of your body. Otherwise he would have fell on top of you. He dropped his forehead to your chest, still covered more or less by your jumper. You could hear him breathing hard, his warm pants went through your woollen jumper. You caressed the top of his head and giggled lightly.

“Don’t think… **_you_** … will.” You said, trying to catch your breath. The slur gave him the strength to stand up straight, to show you that he still had the stamina.

His hands gripped your ankles, yanking your left leg around his waist and bending your right leg so that the flat of your shoe rested on the desk. He ran the length of your left calf, then traced his fingers up your thigh. You could feel your stomach twisting in knots as his fingers slowly reached your upper tight. He pulled back to hooked his right hand behind your knee and slowly he rocked the blunt head of his cock into your glistering folds. He moved forward slowly, drawing a long purr from your parted lips. He smirked and pulled out, leaving just the tip as he teased your entrance mercilessly. The sensation of your sore sensitive lips slowly caressed by his blunt head made your breath ragged. A warm feeling pooled inside your belly as he continued to torture you.

When you started to shudder, back arching for more, he rocked his hips forward in one hard thrust. The sudden change of pace made you cry out, your hands pulled on the loosened tie to drag him closer to you. He captured your lips in a rough heated kiss, his tongue slipped in to dance with yours while his hips still smashed into yours. You closed your eyes, feeling the sweet coil burn and getting dangerously close to climax. He quickened his pace, slamming harder, rolling with a fervour that seemed almost inhuman. His features twisted in pain and desire, his jaw clenched and a deep groan resonated in his throat. His shoves were so brutal and driven by lust that the desk moved with each hard thrusts. The desk was now inches away from its original position, the square marks could be seen on the carpeting.

You let go of the tie and slammed your hands on the desk repeatedly. In an attempt to control your feeling your scratch the desk furiously, leaving marks on the wooden bureau. You came around his cock in a long and agonising plea. You continued to appease your painful eagerness by digging your nails into the desk, leaving crescent moon shapes a tad lighter than the colour of the desk. You felt his cock convulsed around your tight walls and with one last thrust, he jolted his seed inside you. Loki groaned your name as his body shivered with ecstasy. You both tried to steady your breath and clear your mind of the earth-shattering outburst.

He withdrew from you, giving you one last shiver as his softened cock spread his seed on the carpet. He fell on the floor, a large smile on his lips. You let your legs fall from the desk and quickly pulled yourself together. The only thing you wanted was to sleep, but it was not even two in the afternoon and you still had work to do. You felt his hand cradling your left ankle, pulling on it slightly to drag you on the floor with him. You slid down and fell on the floor in front of him, your legs are tightly pressed together as you sit on your heels.

“I think we’re even now.” He said wiping the sweat from his forehead. You looked down and laughed, adrenaline still prevailed in your body.

“I think we ruined the chair.” You said looking at the mess behind him.

“I’m more concerned about the desk.” He laughed and you stood up on your legs as best as you could to see the imprints your nails did.

“Oh my God.” You chuckled a bit anxious, the scratch marks were very visible and you couldn’t hide them. Loki stood up as well and kissed your lips. He grinned to himself when he noticed how your legs were shaking. He pulled on your skirt to cover your exposed parts and looked around absent-minded.

“What were we doing here?” He said scratching his head.

“The books.” You said with a grin. “You know, the files or whatever that says you’re a filthy man.” You said emphasising the last two words.

“Ah, yes!” He said while he buckled his belt. You moved on your feet, feeling the tick fluids running down your thighs. You smoothed your skirt only to find stains on it, you looked at Loki who had similar stains on his trousers.

“We’ll have to find another plan, I really need to eat something and go back to work.” You said stepping on your toes to kiss him. “And I need to change.” You pointed at your skirt.

“Of course.” He said appreciating his work. He pressed his thumbs under your eyes to smear the dark smudged makeup. “Are you feeling better?” He asked with a concerned look. Earlier that day, you told him that you were feeling a bit funny since you woke up.

“Yeah I’m fine. I think I’m just starving.” You said feeling your stomach upset at the lack of food. Your last meal went back from the previous night and it left you with an unpleasant feeling in the back of your throat. You kissed Loki before you reached the door.

You left the room discreetly, although there was no one in the corridor. Once you were gone, Loki stood still, gently caressing the marks made by your nails on the desk.


	20. The test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4600 words. Sorry guys, I’m soooo changeable ;) So in the end, yeah I changed my mind but I added something and I hope you’ll like it. Cheesy romantic stories for everyone yayyy! Enjoy

You arrived at work for the afternoon shift with almost an hour late. You tried to move discreetly, the kitchen was not very busy. You walked slowly to your locker to change your stained clothes but the only thing you had was your apron. You gasped, wondering how you would hide the stains on your clothes with that. You pushed your head in the hole of the apron, adjusting your bra as you did and wrapped the apron around your waist. You were happy to see that the apron was covering your skirt entirely. With a huge weight off your shoulders, you walked happily to your kitchen counter and washed your hands before you stepped into the front shop.

“Why are you wearing an apron? You’re not working in the kitchen this afternoon.” Y/bff said puzzled as you sat behind the till.

“Oh, um, it’s just in case I have to move to the kitchen.”

“How was the meeting with Odin?”

“Oh! Good, very good.” Your face was feeling warm and surely it was red as hell. She raised her head to look at you with a frown and lines on her forehead. You hid your face, pretending to be intensely working on something. She shrugged and continued her work.

You stayed behind the counter, working on the client lists and moved from your seat when the doorbell rang. You greeted customers with your best smile and showed them the cakes on display. At some point, you heard the phone ring but paid no attention and someone quickly answered the call. Moments later, Y/bff arrived behind you.

“How was your lunch break?” You tried to turn around but she grabbed and held your shoulders to keep you still. “Your skirt is covered with… well we both know what is it, don’t make me say it.” She pressed herself on your back as some of the customers moved behind you.

“Oh no!” You tried to move your arm behind you, thinking that it would hide the stains. You were mortified but she had more to say.

“We’re awaited for a meeting with Odin in ten minutes.” She said before she tied an apron around your waist to hide your back. “It’s funny because you just came back from his office, um? It’s going to be fun.”

You moved with her to the kitchen and took the winter coat from your locker. Although it was now June, you left it one day and never brought it back to your flat. And in that moment, you thanked your laziness.

“It’s okay, I will stay on my seat.”

“Dude, it’s a presentation!”

“Fuck! I’ll keep my coat on, then.”

She rubbed her hands together like an evil genie, laughing at your expense before you made your way to Odin’s headquarters. The process was always the same, you registered your name on a book and waited for someone to show you the way. This time, there was one tiny difference, you were not going to the meeting room but Odin’s office. You started to panic, your body was still sore and numb from your lunch break activity and you hoped the evidence of your intrusion in Odin’s office were gone and cleaned up.

You turned at the corner, legs weak and unresponsive and watched as the big boss turned on his chair. Thor exited his office that was right at the corner and greeted you with a shy smile before he entered the office as well. Other people that you assumed were family members were standing near the door. Frigga was among them, she was standing next to Loki who appeared to be in absolute bliss. He flashed you a small wink when you passed by him but you were too anxious to respond.

“The future husband might want to join you.” An old woman said to Odin, she was wearing a blue blazer jacket and tied her white hair in a high bun. “You know, be a part of the preparations and all.” Thor moved closer to the desk as Odin looked at the woman with mean eyes. As you sat down on your chair, your eyes went immediately on the small nail marks on the armrests of Odin’s chair. You tied to breathe normally but the lurch in your stomach was paralysing you.

“Please, sit down and show us what you came up with.” A week or so before, Odin came up with an idea. It was an incongruous request but you tried your best to arrive with something that would please him.

You sat down but kept your coat on, Y/bff did the same. You took the papers from your bag and placed them on the table, trying really hard not to gasp when you saw how intensely your nails dug into the desk. Thankfully, the papers covered the scratches quite well. Odin took the papers in his hands, observing them with care as you reached a hand in horror. He placed the papers down and sat down, elbows on the desk. After a couple of seconds, he smiled and asked the others to see the wonderful work you did for the wedding of his eldest.

Everyone gathered around the papers, moving them and praising you for your work but you were terrified that someone might ask what the marks on the desk were. After a while and because nobody saw a thing, you started to relax.

“Good job!” The lady with the blue blazer said with a pat on your back.

“If it’s a good as it is pretty, we will have a blast!” Another person said.

Odin stood up from his chair and frowned slightly, he noticed that the desk had been moved slightly. He adjusted it quickly and thankfully, paid no further attention.

“My dear fami-”

He was cut off by Loki, who left his mother’s side and jumped loudly next to Odin, making a little gasp as he did. Loki tried to keep a casual look on his face but the sudden surge drew the attention to himself. Odin turned his head to look at the young man and stared daggers at him. After the disturbance, Odin finished his speech and when he was done people started to move around to greet each other. You stood up and tried to reach Loki’s side.

“What was that about?” You said moving slightly to avoid bumping into someone.

“An emergency.” He replied with a fixed glance at his feet.

“Can you be more specific?” You asked, letting someone else move between the two of you.

“There is _something_ under my foot. _Something_ that you’re not wearing anymore.”

“What are y- Oh my God!” You said, putting your hands on your hips and suddenly realised that you were not wearing your knickers. At this moment, you understood that your knickers were on the floor under his foot. “Pick them up!” You said as calmly as you could but your eyes were opened wide.

“Can’t.” He mouthed as someone patted him on the back. There were a lot of people in Odin’s office, somehow it didn’t bother the old man.

You tried to squat down but it felt too weird and some of the family members were already looking at you curiously. Perhaps it was because you kept clutching at your winter coat when it was extremely warm inside Odin’s office. Not to mention that it was June.

“Okay, let me try something.” He said looking around. He cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention and for a split second, you thought it was the worst idea he had ever had. And he had tried to kill his father. “It’s a bit crowded in here, we should move to the meeting room. We’ll be more comfortable.” He screamed and soon people were leaving the office. You sighed in relief.

When the office was practically empty, he bent down and took your panties from under his shoe. He sighed happily, a large smile was spreading across his features. He quickly put the item in his pocket and led you out of the office.

“I thought you said he was away for the day! And I thought you would clean after I left.” You whispered as you clutched his arm.

“What do you want me to say? He came back and I wasn’t done cleaning...”

“That was more than an hour ago!” You screamed but he tried to silence you.

“I was trying to cover the marks you made on the desk.” He whispered as you both entered the meeting room.

“Oh, so now it’s my fault.” You spat with a hint of a smile, the situation was amusing you. Loki chuckled and bent down to kiss you but he was interrupted.

“Come on now! Where is that cake?” Odin said as the family gathered around the table. “Come over here, show us your work.”

You walked closer, leaving Loki by the door. When you arrived in front of the table, all eyes were on you. You gulped down nervously and started to talk.

“Take off your coat, it looks like you’re ready to leave.” One man joked, which made everyone laugh.

You stood there, nervous to flash your stained outfit, heat rising to your cheeks. Y/bff was about to say something to save you from the embarrassment, or more likely to embarrassed you even more without realising it. She didn’t have to do anything though, your upset stomach was also there to back you up. You felt an interior wave of sickness shake your body before you put your hand over your mouth. You ran out of the room and turned at the corner to find the restroom.

Loki gently knocked on the door and entered the restroom, reserved for the female employees. Your feet were visible as you kneeled in front of the toilet bowl, allowing Loki to find you easily. He spread his legs apart and squatted behind you, holding your hair while his hand traced circles on your back. Tears rolled down on your cheeks as it is common in this kind of situation.

“I must look like an idiot.” You said taking a piece of toilet paper to wipe your mouth. You sat on the surprisingly spotless floor. “Like a seven-year-old who has to talk in front of her classroom.” You sniffed.

“I’m sure they understood you were feeling sick.” He said tentatively as he sat in front of you.

“Well yeah, now they got it!” You snorted and stood up. You walked over to the large mirror and opened one of the taps. You took your hair in your fist, securing them behind your neck as you hunched to take a mouthful of water. You spilled the water and took another sip of water. Loki stood up and searched his pocket of a gum. “Thank you.” You said, taking the mint flavoured candy and putting it in your mouth. He ran a hand through your hair, trying to make you feel better.

“Youhoo.” A woman’s voice could be heard from the other side of the door. You sighed quietly and threw your head back, his entire family was probably waiting behind the restroom door. “Is everything ok?” The woman asked as she opened the door very carefully.

“I’m fine.” You replied, surprised to hear how annoyed and irritated this sentence came out. The woman showed herself, it was the lady in the blue blazer. “I’m fine, really.”

“Good to hear.” She paused slightly and looked at you from head to toe. “Oh, so that’s why Frigga asked for my we-”

“Gran!” She was cut off by Loki who cleared his throat loudly as he led her outside the restroom. You watched a bit confused but didn’t follow them. Instead, a familiar face joined you in the restroom. Y/bff waited silently, anxiety marked her features

“Are you feeling better?” She asked with genuine concern. You nodded quickly and checked yourself in the mirror. You wiped the involuntary tears that ran down your cheeks. “What happened to you? You’re preggo?” She laughed.

As she said the words, you felt your legs shake violently. You never thought about that.

“No, I…I don’t think so. I’m on birth control.” You took your phone to check if you were late and a sighed in relief. “No come on! I can’t be pregnant, right?”

She pursed her lips and looked at your winter coat. You clutched it slightly as if it were going to protect you from her judgy eyes.

“Ok I’m going home. I need to buy a test.” You said resolute to go through the bottom of this.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” She asked more seriously.

“No, someone has to do the presentation. Keep Loki around, I don’t want him to panic over nothing.”

She nodded vehemently and you both made your way out of the restroom.

Meanwhile, Loki had taken his grandmother out of the restroom. The little woman was shaken by the force her grandson put in her eviction. She recovered quickly and smoothed her clothes.

“I said nothing yet.” He whispered looking at the restroom door that was pushed by Y/bff as she made her way to see how you were doing. He took his grandmother by the shoulders and had to bend to whisper to her.

“Oh why not?” She inquired.

“First because a restroom is not the best place to ask someone to marry you. Even more so when that person just threw up.”

She giggled and nodded, with a bright smile on her lips, she cupped his face and sighed.

“I’m really happy for you Loki, you found a delightful woman. Take care of my wedding ring, would you. When your mother asked for it, I was over the moon.” She hit his cheeks with affection. He wrinkled his nose at the sudden slaps. “Your fathead father gave his mother’s ring to Thor but we all know that you took from our side of the family.” She said, placing a hand on his heart. Clearly, she had no idea that Loki was not genetically speaking her grandson.

“Yes Nan.” He said with the hint of a smile, the family secret was safe in his hands.

“And I’m guessing you’ll want to get married soon.” She let go of his face.

“She’ll have to say yes first but we’re not in a hurry.”

“Oh you will be. A knocked up bride isn’t exactly screaming virginity, uh?”

“She- wait what?” His eyes opened wide and his mouth hanged open in shock. The restroom door opened on you and Y/bff.

“Hey, so I’m going to head home to rest. Stay here with Y/bff, she needs to finish the presentation.”

“I think I’d rather go home with you.” Now he was also feeling sick, his usually pale face was now ghostly pale.

“Nope, I’m not staying alone with all these strangers. You’ll help me with the presentation.” Y/bff took his arm and led him towards the meeting room as you asked her to. He tried to turn around but her grip was stronger. His grandmother followed them, a bright smile on her face as she said her goodbyes to you.

As fast as you could, you returned to your flat. You took the pregnancy test from the paper bag and went straight to the bathroom. Moments later, you were sitting on the edge of the bathtub, holding the test between two fingers. The box said to wait three minutes so you waited silently.

You couldn’t help but think about the pros and cons of having a baby. On one hand, you and Loki were dating for about seven months and you wanted him for yourself a bit longer before starting a family. On the other hand, you knew that you were together for good, so in the end it didn’t matter. You summoned the courage to look down at the little stick, a growing knot built in your stomach.

“I’m not pregnant.” You whispered to yourself in mild disappointment. You looked at the stick for a moment before you decided to throw it in the bathroom bin. You ran your hands on your face with a long sigh. You were just sick, not pregnant. The roller coaster of emotions made you head dizzy and you stood up to take some rest.

When Loki came home, you were sound asleep. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked your hair. You made a soft whimper and turned. He loosened his tie and took his jacket off before he headed to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, his hands gripping the edge of the sink furiously. His reflection seemed to mock him and he looked down to avoid his own stare. The pregnancy test was still in the bin and it caught his attention. Carefully, he took it between two fingers and examined the results. He was about to bend to take the box so that he could understand the results but you leaned against the door frame.

“It’s negative.”

He turned around as your voice broke the silent night. He pressed his back against the sink while you moved to sat on the edge of the bathtub.

“You thought you were pregnant and kept it from me?” He tried to keep an unaffected voice but you noticed the pain in his question.

“Let’s just say, I was pretty sure I was not. And I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Why would I be scared?”

“A child, it’s… a bit event. The biggest event there is.”

He nodded absent-mindedly, in truth, since his grandmother mentioned that you might be pregnant, a growing sense of euphoria rose in him. But as the hours went by he had to face it, given his situation, a child was probably a senseless idea.

“Honestly?” He finally said. “I’m not sure a child is a good idea at the moment. We’ve only been dating for seven months, Odin is playing with me and I still have some pretty bad days… I don’t want to welcome a child in these conditions.”

“Yeah…” You whispered.

“And I don’t even want to think about what he would do to our child.” He shivered. You frowned, wondering if Odin could be as cruel with his grandchild.

“You think he could hurt our…” You are unable to say the word ‘child’.

“No, but use her as leverage? Definitely.”

“Her?” You repeated with a bright smile.

“Oh yeah, we’ll have a daughter.” He said without doubting it.

“You can’t know that.”

“I want a girl.” He said with a firm voice, as if saying it would make it happen.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve heard a guy say that. Usually, men want boys.”

“I know what boys are capable of, especially if it were my boy. My parents thought I was a sweet innocent child but behind their backs, I was a little terror. Remember, Fandral and his ten stitches?” He said moving a hand to his forehead where he traced an imaginary line and you recalled Sif’s tale. One of Loki’s pranks ended up at the hospital and something told you that it was not the first time. “Thor was not better, always in a fight or trying to create one. Boys are chaotic, girls are gentle.”

“Um, nope. Girls are sneaky, they do their mischief and then they act all sweet and naïve. They can be worse than boys.” You said with a grin.

“I don’t care. I want a girl.” He said, looking at the tiles dreamingly.

You stood up from your uncomfortable seat and wrapped your arms around him.

“Is that a promise?” You teased him, unbuttoning his shirt. He looked down to see you smirk and smiled in return. He surprised you by yanking your legs up, you wrapped your legs around his waist as he carried you around the house, until he placed you gently onto the bed. You rubbed your eyes and waited for him to join you under the covers.

The next day, you woke up to find a tray of diverse delicious food on your bedside table. A red rose was proudly standing in a bud vase. Your blurred vision distinguished some toasts, croissants and scrambled eggs. Luckily, your stomach was feeling much better. The food smelled incredible and you sat on the bed with your head pressed on the wall.

“Morning.” Loki said, bringing the kettle and an empty mug.

“You’re up early.” You said at as you turned to look at the digital clock, it was not even seven yet.

“I had a lot to do.” Loki said sitting on the edge of the bed and pouring hot water into the mug. “We’ll be leaving in an hour.”

“Leaving? Where?” You said as he returned to the living room.

He turned around and placed a finger on his lips to shush you. You ate your feast and put on a nice floral dress, in which you looked gorgeous. You left the bedroom, hands in your hair to tie them in a messy bun. On the kitchen table there were lots of boxes with different kind of food, a bottle of wine, two crystal glasses that he saved from his old apartment and a big bag that was supposed to welcome all the items. Loki was busy trying to find a way to put everything in the bag when he noticed you. Once he placed everything in the bag he covered it with a folded plaid sheet.

You kept your mouth shut and followed him in the car, clearly he had something in mind and you didn’t risk saying anything that might ruin his plans. Needless to say that for once, it seemed like a nice plan. He drove for hours until he parked in a deserted place not far from a river and despite the hot weather, no one was there.

After a long walk, he undid the plaid sheet on the warm grass and put the picnic basket on it before he took the boxes out. You sat with him and enjoyed a nice lunch on the riverbank, where geese and swans dabbled in the water. You laid on the plaid sheet and looked at the sky.

“Oh look! This one looks like a wolf.” You said, pointing at a cloud. The wind turned and soon the wolf-shaped cloud disappeared. “Oh, well it doesn’t look like it anymore.” You pouted.

Loki smiled, looking at you while he sat crossed legs on the plaid sheet. He bent, resting his forearm on the sheet and lay next to you. He wrapped his other arm around your waist and caught your lips in a sweet adoring kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, you let his tongue dance with yours and moaned. In that moment, everything was perfect. He broke the kiss, looking all nervous and agitated.

“Something wrong?” You asked panting slightly.

“Um?” He ran the tip of his fingers on his thin lips. “No, no.” He quickly answered, tucking a lock of his dark hair behind his ear. “Y/n? You know… it’s, um.” He tried to find his words.

“Raining!” You gasped, propping yourself on your elbows as tiny drops of rain splatted on your forehead.

“Yeah, it’s raini- No, that’s not what I- Wait, fuck!” The sky turned dark and what started as a spring shower ended up as a freaking deluge. Within two minutes, you were both soaking wet, trying to put everything back in the basket. Loki was not in a good mood, the rain ruined his plans and he grumbled darkly as he tried to stuff everything in the bag. You, on the other hand, were not as shaken by the rain and even laughed lightly as your dress started to hug your body tightly.

A deep lighting in the sky made you turn around, it was soon followed by the unmistakable sound of thunder. Loki left all the items on the ground, took your hand and searched for a shelter. The car was far away from where you settled and trees surrounded you. After a minute of running around, you found shelter under a little cabin. You shook your head and pressed the bottom of your dress in your fists to remove the water. Loki pressed his back against the shelter, he looked at the pouring rain with sad eyes. You noticed his sadness and stood next to him to place a kiss on his cheek.

“It’s okay, it probably won’t last long.” You said trying to cheer him up. He sighed and looked down, when he turned his head to look at you he had a soft smile on his lips. He took you by your shoulders and kept you close. You rested your head on his chest, your breathing started to match the ups and downs of his torso.

“Fucking thunder.” Loki mumbled. You started to laugh, loudly and heartily and after a while Loki joined you. Laughing hysterically, you both fell to the floor of the shelter. You huddled up to him, your head on his shoulder and felt his head rest on top of yours. He retrieved something from his pocket, a square box that he turned in his hand. Your eyes were focused on the beautiful landscape and how the puddles started to grow on the muddy path.

“Actually, it’s better that way.” He proclaimed and you moved your head from his shoulder to look at him. “It’s like our relationship: first it was bright, then everything went upside down and now… Now we found a shelter that protects us from everyone else.” He smiled, moving away a lock of your soaked hair that had fallen on your forehead. “I’m blessed to have you by my side and… I’m not so bad in the end, am I?” You laughed, shaking your head. His fingers played with the tiny square box that held his grandmother’s wedding ring. Bracing himself, he opened the box and took your hand in his. “You deserve the best, a man who will let you be who you are, cherish you and love you. Would you let me be that man?”

Your eyes went straight down to the gold/silver (whichever suits you the best) ring with its three interwoven brands and the engraved Celtic symbols. In its centre, there was a vibrant emerald that immediately caught your eyes. It looked like it belonged to another realm. You felt the corner of your lips turn into a smile and you raised your head to look at your soon-to-be fiancé. There was a hint of apprehension in his eyes but it disappeared the moment he saw you smile.

“You have to say the words.” You grinned from ear to ear. “I want the words.” You squeezed his hand. He sighed amusedly, his eyes dropped to the ground. When he raised his head, he had a huge smile on his face.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” You answered not even a millisecond after he finished his sentence.

You were both sitting on your heels, facing each other. He leaned to close the space between you and kissed you with a passion that was beyond imagination. You pushed on your heels to be even closer as you deepened the kiss. When you felt like you might pass out from the lack of air in your lungs, you panted breathlessly and looked down. His thumb and pointer fingers were holding the ring carefully, until the (gold/silver) jewel hugged your finger perfectly.


	21. The waiter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the end is near when people are getting married. So here we go: the penultimate chapter.

You were lying on one of the three sofas in the room, Loki was reading a book while his hand stroked your knees. The castle that Odin booked for Thor and Sif’s wedding was gigantic. It looked like it was made for the most fashionable King in history. The castle had four towers, three ballrooms, countless rooms, kitchens, living rooms, and a beautiful garden that was almost as giant as the castle itself. When you first entered the castle, you thought that you would never run into another guest throughout the week end. That’s why you were amazed to learn that a small bed and breakfast was required for the guests who couldn’t have a room in the castle.

The room that was saved for the younger brother was the definition of luxury. Three sofas, a large bed, a fireplace, a bathroom with a shower, a Jacuzzi and a round bathtub and enough space in the wardrobes to fit your entire flat. Your window looked onto the garden and its beautiful roses. Earlier that day when you woke up, a large ray of sunshine gently warmed your skin. It had been difficult to leave your bed, even if your workplace was right down the stairs. The kitchen was busy and steamy, people shouted and bumped into each other. You missed your cosy and warm room and the man sleeping soundly in the bed. When you were finally able to go back upstairs, you collapsed on the first thing you found and enjoyed a peaceful evening.

“Can I come in?” Frigga asked with a knock on the door.

“Yes, mother.” Loki said still reading his book. His mother opened the door and you sat on the sofa.

“Y/n, how’s work?” Frigga asked with a sympathetic smile.

“Everyone is exhausted but we’re on time.”

“I hate to disturb your evening but Sif is asking for you.”

“I’ll go right now.” You stood up from the sofa and smoothed your clothes. You bent over to kiss your fiancé who was still immersed in his book. With his hand, he tried to keep you close and only let go when you were out of his reach.

“I don’t understand why she has to work during the wedding.” Loki said once you were out of the room, he finally put the book on his lap.

“It’s her business, dear.” She said taking your place on the sofa. She turned and noticed her mother’s ring on the nearby table. “Is the ring too large?”

“We would rather keep this private for a while.” His mother frowned, she was not allowed to tell Odin and she desperately wanted to share the good news.

You knocked on Sif’s door and opened it enough to take a look inside.

“You wanted to see me?” You asked, peeping your head through the door.

“Yes, come in.” She was wearing a beige shirt and a dark brown skirt, behind her was a large white cover that held, without any doubt, her wedding dress. “I feel bad that one of my closest friend will be attending the reception as a waitress. Can’t you take the night off?” She asked with a big hopeful smile.

“Oh don’t mention it. Loki nagged me all day with that. I’m sorry but I really can’t. This might be the biggest event for my company and if I bail, I’ll be chased around the castle by my employees.” You laughed.

There was a long moment of silent, Sif sat on the table behind her and drummed her hands on the porcelain table.

“Nervous?” You asked, moving from the front door to sit on the bed.

“Terribly. Is that supposed to be?” She frowned and took one of the many makeup brushes on the table, playing with it in her hands like she were a painter.

“I think all brides have their moment of doubts.”

“I thought I had mine months ago. I think I still expect Loki to ruin everything.” She sighed. “I’m sorry but I just can’t shake that feeling.”

“Everything will be fine. I swear.”

“I hope you're right.” She gave you a small smile and breathed deeply.

You stood up to hug your friend and left the room. You went downstairs to see if everything was ready for the next day.

While you were talking with Sif, Loki had left his mother and made his way around the castle to find his brother. He found him in the hall, enjoying a drink with Odin. He walked slowly toward the two men. Thor raised his head and greeted his brother was a warm smile while Odin ignored him completely.

“Loki! I thought you would hide in your room with your girlfriend for the entire weekend.” His brother teased him. Loki cringed, he wanted to correct him and call you his fiancée but that would be a pretty bad move in front of his father.

“My _girlfriend_ is running around the castle to provide food to this foolish herd of people.”

“After all,” Odin stood up and placed his empty glass on the table. “That is what she is paid to do.” He smirked to his youngest and left the room. Loki could feel the heat rising to his cheeks.

“I don’t feel comfortable about that, you know. She’s a dear friend. She shouldn’t be working during the ceremony.” Thor gave his brother a sincere pat on the shoulder. “I tried to tell father but… you know how he is.”

“It’s alright. She wouldn’t leave her team behind anyway.” Loki replied.

“Ah, I know someone like that too.” Thor mused as he recalled Sif’s bravery.

“About that, you should know, I won’t be a burden to you anymore.”

“Brother, you were never a burden to me.” Thor grabbed Loki by his shoulders, facing him and looking at him right in the eyes.

“Perhaps not to you, but I can think of someone else.”

“Sif?” Thor asked but he knew he was referring to the right person. Loki nodded. “I’m sure she doesn’t-”

“Stop it, we both know how she feels about me. Consider this to be my wedding present.”

“Thank you, she will be pleased to know that.”

The brothers fell into each other arms in an honest embrace. You were making your way back to your room when you entered the hall and noticed the brothers.

“Can I join in?” You asked, pursing your lips to repress a large smile. Upon hearing your voice, the brothers separated quickly as if they were caught in an act of debauchery.

“Y/n! How long have you been in here?”

“Long enough.” You grinned. Loki walked closer to you and took your hand.

“We should get going.” He kissed your hand before he turned and gave his brother a nod. Thor looked the two of you leave the hall with a weight off his chest. He ran upstairs to find Sif and once he finally reached her room, he entered without knocking on the door.

“What are you doing here?” Sif tried to whisper but somehow she made it sound louder than a scream. “We’re supposed to be sleeping in separate rooms tonight.” She giggled when Thor wrapped his strong arms around her small frame.

“If you think I’m going to spend the night alone after you left me alone for months, you are out of your mind.” He teased her, planting kissed down her throat.

“If you father hears about this he’ll go berserk.”

“That would not be the first time this weekend.”

“Have you talked to your brother?”

“Actually, he came to see me. Everything will be fine, I swear. You will have the most extraordinary wedding the word has ever seen.”

The soon-to-be married couple spent the night together, soothing each other’s fear about their oncoming ceremony. Meanwhile, you were sitting in front of your plate in the restaurant but your eyes felt heavy and you had a hard time keeping them open. You placed your elbow on the table, resting your head in the palm of your hand. Around you, the conversations and cutlery noises were gradually fading. As you sank deeper into the arms of Morpheus, your elbow moved from the table, forcing you to wake up with a small shriek.

“Okay, time to go.” Loki laughed as your sleepy head tried to understand what just happened.

He pulled the napkin from his lap, threw it down on the table, and pushed his chair. Carefully he took your hand and led you outside the restaurant as the other guests watched with amused looks. Once you arrived in front of the big stairs, you whined. It seemed that the stairs where even bigger than you imagined and with another quiet laugh, Loki took you in his arms and climbed the stairs until he reached the door of your shared bedroom.

The next day you woke up bright and early for the first time in forever. You gathered your strength and went to the kitchen, making the final touch. After what should have been your lunch break, you heard the romantic music usually associated with wedding, and seeing that you had most of your work done, you rushed to the ballroom. Thor and Sif were about to kiss for the first time as husband and wife when you found an empty seat in the last row. Loki and Fandral were standing behind Thor and some girls that you never met were standing behind Sif. Once they kissed, people clapped and the organ started to play again. The married couple made their way out of the ballroom and Loki found you quite easily. You were the only one wearing an apron covered with strawberry filling while the others had their fanciest outfit for the event.

You talked for a minute with your fiancé before you had to return to work. The caterer for the main course was in the kitchen next to the restaurant and complained that he had the worst spot in the castle. You tried to avoid him and stayed in your kitchen until it was time to bring the cakes.

“Look at that.” Y/bff pointed at a box of champagne. “Ten boxes of champagne and twenty of red wine. That’s just insane.”

You were adjusting the bow on your skirt after you smoothed the lines on your white shirt. You were ready to move around the crowd and fill their glasses.

“Stop daydreaming and help me with the trays.” You placed macarons, profiteroles, trinity creams and éclairs on a metallic tray with fancy ornaments.

“I’m starving! It looks so good.” Y/bff whined as she took an éclair in her hands. She looked at it and licked her lips. You slapped her hand.

“Don’t! It took me four hours to make those! You eat it, I’ll punch you until you throw it up.” You were a bit protective with the food you made. You wanted to go to bed but your day was far from over and you were clearly feeling tired.

“Wow, someone’s on edge tonight.” She put the éclair on tray with a weary look on her face. “He grows on you, your _fiancé_.” She whispered and you turned around to see if someone heard her. Someone entered the kitchen and screamed that the guests were waiting for the wedding cake.

“Careful, he taught me a couple of his nasty tricks so don’t you dare eat one of the patisserie!” You said playfully before you turned around to fetch the wedding cake. You entered the larder and while two of your employees kept the door open, you and Y/bff rolled the dessert trolley out of room.

You tried to make your way towards the ballroom while arguing with Y/bff about the zigzags of the trolley. The cake was standing proudly on top of the trolley, but the tiny bumps against the walls threatened to throw it on the ground. The large double doors opened and you pushed the trolley into the ballroom. The lights were softened and some professional photographers were taking pictures of the guests. The dim lights and the sudden flashes blinded you as you entered the room. Thor and Sif made their way to stand next to the cake while you and Y/bff moved away to stand next to the door.

The croquembouche was huge, seven cakes put all together until it reached an impressive height and two cake toppers that seemed to assert their love. The cake was a white as snow but some of the patterns, made with strawberry and raspberry filling, provided a nice touch of colour. The extravagant red patterns seemed to warn the enemies of the two figures, nothing would break them apart. A gorgeous silver bow made with sugar gum paste wrapped the wedding cake toppers in a safe cocoon. Silver roses were also made with the sugar paste and were placed on the cakes.

“Impressive.” You felt a kiss on your cheek as Loki joined you next to the door, putting his arm around your shoulders. You leaned against his chest and looked at Thor and Sif who were posing gracefully next to the cake.

“Yeah, well after an entire day of working our ass off… thank God!” Y/bff said. She stood elegantly next to you, smiling at the people who looked at her.

“Um, excuse me.” A small voice disturbed your conversation and you turned around to see who it was. One of your employees was standing in the corridor, you joined him anxiously. “One of the waiter is sick and… well… he’s not coming.” The man said, playing nervously with the hem of his shirt.

“What?” You and Y/bff said at the same time, Loki was standing behind you.

“How are we going to do this? We were already short on people but now…” You wheezed.

“I’m going to call this fucker and drag his sorry…” Y/bff’s voice faded as she ran down the corridor, screaming insults with the other waiter hot on her heels.

You ran your hands on your face, trying to steady your breathing. You turned around and apologized before you left the ballroom and joined them in the kitchen.

“Fuck off!” Y/bff screamed into the receiver before she hung up. “He still wants to be paid! Can you believe that?!”

“Can I help?”

You turned around as Loki stepped into the kitchen.

“Have you ever worked as a waiter?” Y/bff spat, her hands on her hips. She looked at him from head to toe, while he stood straight in his fine suit. “No, I don’t think so. “

“I haven’t but I’m willing to help and I’m not sure you have a better solution.” He smirked.

“Yeah ok, done! We don’t have time to argue. Take a uniform in the closet.” You turned, pat him on the shoulder and took some of the trays to the ballroom.

“Ah, she’s your boss now.” Y/bff grinned, following you.

Once he found a suitable uniform, Loki followed a man who was gathering different sort of pies on a tray. When he was in the ballroom, dressed as a waiter, another man gave him a bottle of champagne and told him to fill the empty glasses. Despite the fact that he was not a man who enjoyed following orders, he remembered that he was doing this for you and it gave him the strength to keep going.

He was quite good at it, filling glasses to his family members and Sif’s family with his best smile. He moved easily in the sea of people, opening bottles after bottles and bringing more food to the guests.

“What exactly are you doing?” Odin caught his arm violently, his face was red from anger and his eyes were opened wide.

“Working. Excuse me but I have more to do.” He snapped his fingers to catch the attention of a waiter and pointed at an empty tray. The waiter nodded and left the room with the empty tray.

“Loki-” Odin was cut off when Loki turned on his heel and continued his work, caring very little about Odin.

After the ceremony, once the guests started to leave, the cleaning team employed by Odin started their work. You sat at the kitchen table, eating the leftovers of the wedding cake with the rest of the team. One by one, they left the kitchen and late at night, you were alone with Loki.

“It’s going to be tough to find someone as good as you for our wedding cake.” He said, wrapping his lips around the fork. You laughed and almost spat the piece of cake you were munching. “By the way, you’re in big troubles.”

“Why?” You asked, a growing twist burning in your stomach.

“Undeclared workers.” He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “You could go to jail for that, lady.” You sighed in relief, you were expecting something dreadful.

“Oh! Looks like I’m a really bad girl.” You smirked and pushed your chair. You slowly let your fingers run along his bare forearm. “Will you say anything to the police?” You whispered in his ear.

“I might but I’m willing to give you a chance.”

“So sweet of you!” You exclaimed.

He turned on his seat to grab your waist and pull you onto his lap. The game soon had to be played in the bedroom before someone caught you. You were running in the deserted hall, Loki’s hand in yours when you noticed Thor waiting on top of the stairs. You slowed down immediately.

“Can I talk to you?” He said to Loki. “It will only take a few minutes, I have… someone to take care of.” You smiled and left the brothers alone. Once you were gone, Thor showed an envelope to his brother. “I think you deserve it.” He said giving him the brown paper.

“What is it?”

“Your freedom.”

Loki’s eyes opened wide when he saw the files he had been looking for months. Without thinking, he gripped the papers as if Thor was going to change his mind and take them away from him.

“Your father will be very disappointed.”

“Aye, he will.” Thor shrugged and gave him a pat on the shoulder before he rushed to his wife.

Loki turned the papers in his hands as he made his way back to the room.

“What’s that?” He gave you the papers and you quickly read one of the files. “Oh! You’d better burn that.” You pursed your lips and returned the papers.

“Don’t you want to read the rest?”

“Nope, I’m good.” You smiled and tore the papers in two pieces. His eyes were memorised by your action, he smiled softly before he turned around.

He pulled a lighter from one of the drawer of the bedside table while you threw the files in the fireplace. You squatted in front of the fireplace while Loki set fire to one of the files and watched as it quickly spread to the others. Loki sat next to you and watched his old life burn in front of his eyes. He was eager to start a new one with you.


	22. The epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5912 words. I enjoyed writing this one so very much. I just couldn’t stop writing… New OFC to end this story, so I hope you all like babies! Weirdly, I end this Loki fic on Tom’s birthday lol I think it’s a funny coincidence. Anyway…

The doorbell of your shop rang when a small little boy with blond hair entered. He was fast for a small child and made his way behind the counter very easily. He knew that a nice piece of chocolate cake was waiting for him. His parents followed, they had a hard time keeping up with the boy’s enthusiasm. A little girl of two years old was sitting in her highchair, munching on ladyfinger biscuits and made a mess of her little green dress. Whether she was trying to eat the cake or her fist, no one could really tell. Loki left the kitchen just in time to catch the boy who was about to fall from his chair.

“Thank you.” Sif said breathlessly with a hand over her heart. She moved behind the counter and scolded her young boy who couldn’t care less.

“Let the boy live a little, Sif. I fell from my chair when I was a kid, didn’t do anything to me.” Thor said in a logic that was his own, while he bumped his fist with his sons.

“If I remember correctly, I pushed you.” Loki wiped his hands with a kitchen towel and took his daughter in his arms. He wiped the spit from her chin and gave her the biscuit that she nonchalantly threw on the floor.

“If you boys don’t mind, I’d like my son to keep his feet on the ground.” Sif said moving her son on the chair so to sit him properly. “Where’s Y/n?”

“With our mother.” Loki said as he turned the open sign to close the shop. The little girl whined and gestured her hands towards Thor who gladly took her in his arms. She giggled in high pitch screams when Thor pretended to throw her in the air.

“Poor girl.” Sif replied with a shiver. “How long had they been gone?”

“Eight this morning so about…” Loki wriggled his wrist to check his watch and snorted. “Ten hours ago.”

As if on cue, you pushed the glass door with an exasperated look on your face, Frigga was following you. You had so many bags around your arms that you had to turn to the side to enter the shop. Frigga was holding as much, if not more, bags and a man in a limousine tried to keep the remaining shopping bags inside the car.

Once you were both inside the shop, you let the bags fall on the floor while the boy ran to see his grandmother. Loki wrapped his arms around you, a small pleased smile crept on his lips. You glowered at him and fell down tiredly on the first chair you could find. The little girl had had enough of Thor and moved frenetically in his arms to get your attention. You opened your arms and smiled at your daughter while Thor let the girl hug you.

“Grandma! Grandma, look I drawed you!” The little boy screamed.

“Oh you drew me!” Frigga said while the boy looked in his bag to take a folded piece of paper. “Oh, it’s… very nice. Can I keep it?” The boy drew her with tiny strings of legs and arms and three fingers on each hands.

While everyone was busy praising the boy for his drawing, you took the dried crumbs of biscuit from your daughter’s black hair. She looked just like Loki and no one could deny that. Although everyone agreed that she had your eyes. Frigga had taken you out to shop for your daughter for the second time this week, after Sif pretended to be sick. However Frigga’s frenzy was unstoppable, she bought every single items that her hand touched. When she finally decided to go back to your shop, there was just enough room in the limousine for the both of you.

“Mother?” Loki nodded at his mother to join him near the counter. She messed her grandson’s hair before she stood up and joined her youngest. “Can you take care of her tomorrow?” He said, running his long thumb on his daughter’s tiny hand. She gripped his thumb and babbled in her own language.

“I would love to take care of my little baby girl.” She said in a funny voice as she tickled your daughter. The little girl made a high pitch scream before she laughed heartily. You let Frigga take your daughter and smoothed your large jumper.

You were expecting another child but the only one who knew about it was your husband. Your baby bump started to show and you hide it the best you could with large shirts and jumper. No one suspected a thing, it was a rather chilly weather, even for November.

“Isn’t it your wedding anniversary tomorrow?” Sif asked while Thor and the boy were fighting on the floor. Thor pretended to lose the improvised battle, his strong arms gripped by his son’s small hands.

“Five years.” You nodded.

“Oh, so that’s why! I’ll take great care of your Missy while you enjoy your night out.” Frigga said, still holding your child.

“Actually, we need you to take care of her during the afternoon. We wanted to invite you all tomorrow night.” You said turning around to look at Frigga.

After everyone agreed to meet at your house the next day, you turned off the lights and gathered the many bags on the floor. Frigga was going to bring the rest the next day and you wondered where you were going to store everything. You jumped in the car with Loki and your daughter, safely sitting in a car seat.

“What are we going to do with all these baby clothes?” You asked sitting on the floor of the guest room, surrounded by the shopping bags. “She literally has more outfits than days in a year. And she’s growing so fast, these won’t fit her in a month!” You pointed at a pair of denim jeans.

“You’re pregnant, Y/n.” Loki replied with a chuckle as he chased his daughter around the house. She was running quite fast but threatened to fall at any moment and Loki was standing close enough to catch her before she did.

“I know you refuse to hear about it, but it may not be a girl this time.”

You heard him mumble something but paid no attention. You stood up and closed the door. You went to take the mail on the console table and frowned at the sight of a letter from Odin. Odin and Frigga divorced three years ago, after Frigga had had enough of Odin’s constant tantrums. Now that he was alone and abandoned by his family, Odin tried to find support in the most peculiar households.

“We have a letter from Odin.” You said as your daughter crashed into your legs, trying to escape her father who was pretending to be an awful monster. You bent slightly to pat her head as she clutched your leg. Loki arrived breathlessly in front of you, unable to continue the game and took the letter from your hands. You squatted to pick your daughter in your arms.

“Yes, it’s not the first.” He said turning the letter in his hand but made no move to open it. He turned around to throw it and you followed him.

“What? What did the letters say?”

“I wouldn’t know, I never opened them.” He said as he threw the letter in the bin. You wanted to argue but the little monster pulling on your hair yawned nosily.

When the child was in bed, it didn’t take five minutes before she started to snore. You left the room as discreetly as you could and found Loki picking up toys on the floor. He threw them in a large box before he hugged you tightly against his lean chest, running his hands through your hair.

“My mother gave you a hard time today.” He mused, kissing the top of your head.

“I’m completely knackered.” You said stepping on your tiptoes, your baby bump brushed against him. He held your waist while you pressed your lips against his. “I know she meant well, and that the divorce was difficult but I don’t think we need more clothes.” He chuckled and moved his hands to cup your face.

“When she’ll hear about your pregnancy, you will never be able to stop her.” He laughed, leading you from the living room to the bedroom while you whined dramatically. “You sound like someone I know. But she’s two and you’re a grown woman.” You laughed quietly and entered your bedroom.

During the night, you had trouble sleeping so you paced the house. You sat in front of the television, a jar of pickles between your legs and another jar of lemon flavoured ice cream next to you. Whether you liked those before your pregnancy didn’t matter, now it was the best food in the world to your pregnant eyes. You laughed in front of the television, alternating between pickles and spoonful of ice cream. At some point you wondered if using a pickle as a spoon would taste good. You turned around to see if you were alone and proceeded with your experiment. You took a pickle and stabbed it in the lemon ice cream, you sucked the ice cream from the pickle before you took a bite of it. You hummed at your surprisingly delicious discovery when a voice started you.

“Oh, that’s nasty.” Loki’s half asleep body collapsed on the sofa next to you and took a pickle from the jar. “Can’t you just crave strawberry?” He crunched into his pickle and wrinkled his nose.

“Not a fan.” You answered, moving the jar away from him. “I read Odin’s letter.”

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away from that.” He sighed.

“Don’t you want to know what he said?”

“No.”

“But that was very nice.” You said in a plea.

“I don’t care, he probably asked his assistant to write it for him. Why do you care about him anyway?” He questioned, moving on the sofa to look at you in the eyes.

“I don’t know but don’t blame my hormones.” You warned him, holding your half eaten pickle as if it were a weapon. He raised his hands, surrendering with a small smile. “He never even met our daughter.”

“Good!” He said loudly. You turned and stared at him. “He only can blame himself. I’m not going to jeopardise our lives just so he can be reunited with my mother.”

“I thought you didn’t read the letters.” You grinned. Loki turned red and fidgeted on his seat. “I gave you another chance. I think we should allow Odin a second chance too.” A soft cry disturbed the conversation, Loki was glad for the interruption and went to see the source of the noise.

You joined him in your daughter’s room, he was stroking her dark locks as the little girl’s agitated dream started to fade away. The room was dark and you couldn’t see much but the light coming from the living room cast a light behind you so that Loki could see you perfectly. You distractedly placed your hands over your baby bump. He left his daughter side and joined you in the corridor, closing the door behind him. He put his hands over yours and leaned to whisper in your ear.

“You’re right, he deserves a second chance.”

On the way back to his bed, Loki thought about Odin. The old man’s bad temper had cost him his sons and his wife. Odin loved his wife more than anything, or at least that’s what he made believe. The company that bore his name was his greatest achievement, he never pretended otherwise. Loki didn’t want to follow Odin’s footsteps and if it meant he had to spend one evening with him to please you, then so be it.

The next day, the noises of the city woke you up before your daughter had the chance to. You went in her room and saw the little lady sitting on her bed. She looked at you with her big sparkling eyes and smiled. You had a lot to do so you put her in front of the television, where she sat on the sofa and drank her bottle of milk while her eyes were mesmerised by the animated film.

“Do you have all the papers?” Loki asked entering the living room, while he buckled his belt.

“Yes, I do. We’ll have to hurry to pick the food, the restaurant is crowded after six.” You said standing in the open kitchen, making tea. You wanted to pick some nice food in a restaurant that you knew everyone loved but that was the problem, literally everyone loved it.

“’Gain.” The girl’s small voice uttered while she pointed at the television. The movie was over and she wanted to see it again. You turned and pressed play to start the movie.

“Pinocchio again?” Loki asked as he picked an apple and bit into it.

“Yep, all day long.” You said, stuffing your bag with the medical papers you needed. Every time the movie ended, she asked for it again. You had tried to show her some other films but she immediately started to cry and called for ‘Picono’. So you figured that she’ll get bored of it eventually and re-played the DVD every time it ended.

Once Frigga arrived, you kissed your daughter who was still enjoying her film for the third time that day. An hour later, the doctor tore the paper on the medical table and set a new one for you. You climbed onto the medical table, the paper moved under you, and raised your top to show your belly. You opened the first two buttons of your jeans while the doctor set his equipment for the ultrasound. He turned around to take the transparent cold gel. He warned you that the feeling could be unpleasant and pressed the tube until the gooey gel fell on your belly. A shiver ran through your body when the freezing sticky gel hit your skin.

“So let’s see what we have here.” He said moving the gel across your bump. After a minute he stopped. “Ah, I have no doubt with this one. Do you want to know the sex of your baby?” He asked, pushing some buttons on his machine. You and Loki nodded so he turned the screen to let you see. “It’s a boy.” He exclaimed.

Indeed there was very little doubt, your son’s willie appeared clearly on the devise.

“Are you sure?” Loki asked, fear breaking his voice. “That could be a hand?” He narrowed his eyes to look at the black and white footage.

“See these.” The doctor pointed at two shapes on the screen. “Right hand and left hand. And that is a penis. I have no doubt, you’ll have a boy. Congratulations!” He continued.

After the usual medical explanations and all, he left the room. You took the tissues he gave you to clean your belly and frowned when you noticed that the slimy gel had made a mess of your jeans. You threw the tissues in the bin and took your coat. Loki was sitting on a chair, his eyes were looking at the file that contained the first pictures of his son but he seemed lost. He was biting the skin of his lower lip, something he did when he was anxious.

“I’m good, let’s go.” You said as you took the folder. He stayed motionless on his chair. “Come on, they will need the room.” Slowly, he stood up and left the room as if he was suddenly sleep walking. You followed him and felt a familiar twist in your stomach.

“I can’t have a boy. I can’t…” He said looking at an image on the wall that pictured an academic drawing of a baby in a womb. You forced him to sit down and turned his head to make him look at you.

“Breathe, it’s going to be okay.” You tried to soothe his fear.

“I don’t want a boy.” He shouted and the room went silent, other patients gave you curious stares. Instinctively, you put your hands over your bump as if by doing so you were covering his ears.

“Don’t you dare!” Your eyes started to burn and soon your vision got blurry.

“I’m sorry Y/n but it’s beyond my strength. What if he… he’s like me?” He ran his hands on his face with a groan. You relaxed on your seat and gently caressed his back with your hand, the other was still on your baby bump.

“Loki… You share no DNA with Odin and yet you are very similar.” He raised his head, he opened his mouth to protest but you cut him off. “That you like it or not!” Your face was serious but your hands kept stroking his back gently. “What matters is how you educate your child.”

“What if I make the same mistakes?”

“You won’t, because you know how it’s like. Believe me you’ll be compensating way too much and I’ll be the angry little woman constantly nagging our children.” You laughed and watched as the corner of his mouth turned into a smile.

He took your hand in his and kissed it. You leaned and pressed your forehead against his. You closed your eyes when he thin lips pressed against yours, you returned the kiss before you stood up.

When you returned to the house, you were both carrying large boxes of pizza. The place where you wanted to buy the food was crowded because of the time you spent comforting Loki. You smiled when you noticed that most of the guests were already there. In fact, a nice evening with the family around a pizza sounded more exciting than a fancy dinner. You dropped the pizzas on the large dining table and went to take your daughter. Frigga was holding her in front of the window and described the scenery while your daughter looked with great interest at the busy street. When she saw you, her eyes opened wide. You took your daughter in your arms and stayed close to the window while Frigga moved to start a conversation with Y/bff.

“Hey there!” You said, kissing every inches of your girl’s face.

“Coco!” She said, slamming her tiny hand on the window. A bird landed on the rope in front of the building. She repeatedly punched the window to grab the bird’s attention, but the only thing she managed was to leave the imprint of her hand on the glass.

“Yes, it’s a pretty bird.” Sif arrived behind you and kissed your child’s round cheek. She turned to look at you, her nose brushed against your daughter’s cheek. “Look at that.” She said before she returned her attention to your daughter. “What do birds sound like?” She said in a childish voice.

“Piou piou piou.” Your daughter squeaked as she raised her hand and pressed her tiny pointer finger on her thumb repeatedly to imitate a bird. When she noticed how marvelled everyone was by her little show, she shyly buried her head in your shoulder.

Nobody noticed that someone knocked on the door, and nobody noticed that Thor’s child left the table to open the door. When he saw Odin on the threshold, he jumped still holding the doorknob. Odin stepped into the house and patted the boy on the head, making a mess of the boy’s blond hair.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He said holding a bag that contained a toy for the four year old boy, and a bottle of wine secured under his arm.

Thor and Loki turned around when they heard their father’s voice. Loki was not surprised, he let Odin’s assistant know that he could stop by for a minute. You and Sif stood completely still in front of the window, Frigga had to sit down when she met her ex-husband stare. The room was completely silent. Your daughter was the first to break the heavy silence.

“Hello.” Her small voice greeted the new guest with one of the few words she knew. Odin’s eyes searched the room to find the source of the greeting and his mouth dropped when he saw your daughter.

“Who is that for?” Thor’s son asked when he saw a red fire truck in the bag that Odin was carrying. The little boy tried to pull on the bag to see what was inside while Odin smiled at your daughter.

“You, young man. Take it.” He dropped the bag in the boy’s arms who immediately pulled the truck out and ran around the house, pretending to extinguish imaginary fires.

“Careful, don’t run into anything with that!” Sif screamed as she ran after her energetic son.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have anything for the girl.” He said putting the bottle on the table. Frigga’s eyes followed him, she could stop looking at him. “She’s yours?” He asked Loki while stating the obvious. Nobody said a word but the room was not silent, Thor’s son was imitating the alarm of a fire truck while Sif sighed tiredly. He used the walls of your house as roads for his tucks. “How old is she?” He asked you. He had walked slowly towards the child that you were still holding in your arms. She pulled on his beard but he didn’t seem to mind.

“She turned two last week.” You replied and he smile, trying to take her hands.

Frigga stood up and left the room while someone else knocked on the door. Your parents were late but at least, they brought a bit a joy in the suddenly morose atmosphere. Odin followed his ex-wife and you looked at the others with weary eyes. Your parents left their suitcases near the front door and entered the house, oblivious to what just happened.

Frigga and Odin had been in the guest room for a long time and no one dared to interrupt their conversation. Frigga’s voice could be heard as she screamed on her ex-husband, though you suspected that for once, Odin listened to what she had to say. It didn’t stop you from enjoying a nice meal with the rest of the family.

You had your daughter on your knees and your husband sitting next to you. In front of you, Sif was munching on her pizza while she listened to your mother’s stories. Loki and your father were talking about the future renovation of the kitchen. Meanwhile, Thor scolded his son when he took yet another slice of pizza. The boy whined and buried his face in the empty plate. With an exasperated sigh, Thor raised the boy’s head and wiped the tomato sauce from his son’s face.

In front of you, you had your plate and a half eaten slice of pizza. You had to push away your glass, your phone and everything that your daughter might want to grab with her small hands. The little girl was playing with a spoon that she had found on the table. Before that she had spilled a glass of water on the tablecloth. And that was when you had to move all the items from her reach, leaving a no man’s land of stains and a single plate in front of you.

“How’s work?” Your father asked while you were talking with Y/bff.

“Great! We have two shops now.” You quickly swallowed your food and turned to look at your father. “Y/bff is taking care of the second shop near Kennington station. And we built up a good client base in our first shop so… everything’s fine.” You looked at Loki who nodded vehemently.

“We bought the shop next to ours and made some renovation work to extend the shop. We’re doing quite well.” Loki joined the conversation.

The day after Thor and Sif’s wedding, Loki went to Odin’s headquarters and cleared his desk. He threw everything in the bin and only kept the picture of you and him. When Odin understood that Loki didn’t feel threatened by him anymore, he went to look for the files. When he found the safe empty, he understood that Thor had broken his trust. He felt betrayed but he still needed Thor around, he was his only successor.

Loki tried to find something to do but after a lifetime of following his father’s footsteps, he found that he had no real interest in anything. He had tried to work as a librarian but after a fight with one customer who tore a page of a book, he realised that it was not a job for him. While he was struggling to find something to do, you were working like crazy.

After the wedding, you were practically living in your shop, much to Loki’s dismay. So he took the habit of visiting you at work, one day he had to take care of a customer who was getting impatient as you were all working in the kitchen. He was good at it and he knew it. He knew what to say to sell his products. When you needed an extra, he was always there to help. Two years later, you were opening a new shop, run by Y/bff while Loki took her place as co-director of the main shop.

You gave your daughter to Loki as you stood up to fetch another bottle of wine for your guests. Frigga left the guest room, holding Odin’s hand timidly and that was the first thing that everyone noticed when the reunited couple entered the living room.

“I’ll give him one last chance.” She said looking at Odin with a warning look. Odin sat on the chair you just left and Loki stood up instantly, holding his daughter protectively against his chest. He moved towards the open kitchen and pretended to look for something.

“If you give him a chance, so will I.” Thor confirmed, slamming his hands on the table. The boy imitated his father, though his small hands did not make as much noise.

The conversation remained uncomfortable for a moment before everyone loosened and continued to enjoy the evening. Thor’s son was running around the house, it seemed that he wasn’t ready to sleep anytime soon. Loki was still keeping his daughter in his arms, despite the little girl’s desire to go play with her cousin.

“You should let her play.” You said as you joined him.

“I’m not leaving her.”

“She’ll stay in the living room. What are you afraid of?”

He didn’t answer and simply moved further away from Odin. You followed him until you reached a quiet part of the house.

“He won’t do anything to her.”

“Of course he will. He’ll tell her I’m a monster, that I’m not a good father. She’s only two, she’ll believe him.”

“Right now, you’re her hero and he’s a stranger.”

“And that’s is not about to change.” He said and turned around with the girl who was trying to break free from her father’s grip.

“You are behaving just like him. For crying out loud, just admit it! He never told you about your biological father because he wanted to be your hero and that’s how he lost you. Do you want to lose your daughter?”

“I don’t! And we agreed to stop talking about that.” He hated when you mentioned that Odin was not his biological father because he reminded him that Frigga was not his mother. But since he was behaving like Odin, you had no other choice.

“Then stop being Odin.” You spat, took your daughter and let her stumble her way towards her cousin. Your words left him sluggish and he had no other choice but to let go of his daughter.

“I don’t want to fight.” He said, closing his eyes and let his aching arms fall out to the sides of his body. You stood on your tiptoes and wrapped your arms around his neck. His cold hands moved your large jumper and pressed against your baby bump but you were used to it.

“Good, then kiss me.” You brushed your nose against his. He didn’t need to be asked twice, he closed the remaining space between your lips and kissed you passionately. You parted your lips without being asked, his tongue was hot and you could taste the wine from his lips. His hands moved from your belly to your lower back as he kept you closer. You wrapped your arms around his neck and felt his body guide you until you were pressed against a wall.

“We still have guests.” You reminded him while he placed open mouth kisses on your neck and his hands caressed your waist. He groaned before he pulled away. “Seriously, I have enough things to cover.” You laughed while you gripped your neck, wondering if the skin already appeared red.

“Happy anniversary.” He said as he squatted down and kissed your belly bump before you returned to your guests.

When you returned to the living room, Thor’s son had dragged his grandfather in front of the television where the boy was colouring a book. The old man sat on the sofa and helped your daughter who wanted to sit next to him. He took the girl on his lap and moved his legs as if she was riding a horse. The girl giggled heartily with her high pitched voice while the boy showed him a piece of paper. Odin never knew about your daughter and he rarely saw Thor’s child. The boy was four now and Odin was pleased to see that he still remembered him.

When he saw Odin sitting with his daughter, Loki’s eyes opened wide but you managed to keep him calm. He sat back with the others, you joined the conversation while Loki kept his eyes fixed on Odin. When Loki started to fidget a bit too much, you placed a hand on his tight until he relaxed. When the plates were empty, you turned to look at Loki and he nodded. It was time to tell everyone about your pregnancy but Frigga took her glass in her hand and raised it above her head before you said anything.

“Happy anniversary!” She said as she suddenly remembered why you were all invited.

“Thank you. But to be honest, it’s not why we asked you here tonight.” You started with a large smile.

“Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” Your mother yelled out of the blue and everyone turned to look at you. You nodded to confirm but your father looked disappointed.

“Come on now! Just keep your thoughts to yourself, you ruined the big news!” He scolded your mother.

“It’s okay, I have more.”

“Oh my God, it’s twins!” She squeaked.

“Seriously, just…” He pretended to zip his mouth while he stared daggers at her. She put her hands over her mouth.

“No, mum it’s not twins.” You sighed while everyone laughed. “It’s a boy.” The family clapped and cheered which startled the two children who couldn’t quite understand the fuss.

While everyone hugged you and Loki, Odin took your daughter in his arms and walked towards the table. He leaned to talk to the little girl who had a confused look on her pretty face. When he saw that Odin was whispering in his daughter’s ear, Loki quickly reached their side. He was close enough to hear what Odin said.

“You’re going to have a little brother.” He said to the little who blocked his view of the living room and thus couldn’t see that Loki was about to snatch her from him. “You’ll have to be nice with him, uh. I’m sure you will! You’re a sweet girl.” He said when the girl finally cracked a smile. He raised his head and met Loki’s eyes. “Do you want to take her?”

“No… it’s fine. Keep her.” He said a bit started and turned around to leave them alone. “But not too long.” He added before he joined you and rescued you from the overwhelming affection you suddenly got.

“Wow, you let her with him.” You haven’t missed a second of their brief exchange.

“Um, for a minute.” He turned around to keep track of them while you pressed a kiss on his cheek. “It’s a good start, isn’t it?” He said, still looking at Odin who was playing with your daughter. “Actually wait, Mum?” He touched his mother’s arm and pointed at Odin. “Can you… you know make sure he’s not going to say _things_ to her.” Frigga frowned slightly in confusion but she did what he asked.

“Yeah okay it’s a good start. I told him he could take care of her tomorrow afternoon. You know, to catch up and stuff.” You said trying to keep a straight face, even if he was not looking at you.

“What?” He turned to look at you with big eyes and you couldn’t help but burst into giggles. He sighed and dramatically tried to push you away, which increased your giggles.

“I’m sorry that was a joke.” You said, stepping on the balls of your feet to kiss his face. He turned around without warning and caught your waist to keep you still while he attacked your mouth with feather kisses. You laughed, clutching on his arms while he tickled you.

When you returned to the living room, Frigga and Odin were playing on the carpet with your daughter who couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. Her heavy head kept moving left and right and if she were older you would have sworn she was drunk. When she saw you, she reached her arms and whined loudly until you rocked her to sleep in your arms. Thor’s son was still running around the coffee table, re-enacting a scene from the cartoon on the television.

It was clear to everyone that it was time to go, and after a long quarrel with their son, Thor and Sif finally managed to dress the boy. Frigga left with your parents, who were staying with her for a week at the mansion that she kept from the divorce. Y/bff quickly cleaned the table before she followed the others. Odin left alone but Frigga promised him an intimate dinner the next day.

You collapsed next to your daughter on the sofa. She was sucking on her thumb while her other hand ran through her hair that was something she did when she was tired. You lifted your legs to put them on the sofa and watched the cartoon with sleepy eyes. When he closed the front door, Loki joined you on the sofa. He picked his daughter and set her on his lap while you leaned against his chest.

“I love you.” He said wrapping his arm around you.

“I love you too.” You replied, while your eyes closed.

“Cat!” Your daughter said, pointing at the television where Simba was chasing Zazu. You felt Loki’s chest move as he chuckled.

You slowly started to fall asleep, the warmth coming from Loki’s body made you feel protected. Your daughter’s tiny hand ran on your face, she wanted you to open your eyes but you were already sound asleep. Loki stayed on the sofa, feeling much better now that his favourite girls where holding him tight. He felt needed and loved and that was all he ever wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end, beautiful friends… I have no idea why you all stayed and bore with me and my story but, DAMN, I LOVE YOU ALL. Thank you for your lovely feedbacks and comments, I was grinning wider than the Grinch. Seriously though, I can't thank you enough! Gonna cry in the corner of the internet now, byeeee. ♥


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